Dream Vacation
by xxxShi.Ro
Summary: Grimmjow is growing tired of hueco mundo and his life as an espada. he's really frustrated lately and wants to get away from Aizen. he gets the vacation he was longing for, how will things turn out, and what does Aizen have up his sleeve?
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I was bored, so I gave this a shot. Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or any of its characters [I wish I owned Grimmy] all rights belong to TK.**

One Hell Of A Night

The Sexta espada was seething with rage as he made his way through those all too familiar white hallways. The manner in which he threw open the doors before him displayed his anger fully. He fixated those cerulean eyes on the one who had disturbed him.

"What?! " he spat, the one word filled with so much venom that any man would have crawled under a rock and hid if it were addressed to him, any man but the one who sat in the throne before him. The man instead stared at him coolly, portraying no hint of any emotion except that of amusement.

"Grimmjow, you would do well to address me with some respect," he replied calmly. Grimmjow scowled. Why should he show anyone respect, much less this sorry excuse for a leader? Aizen was wasting his time, why was he here?

"What the hell do you want?" Grimmjow commanded.

"Now, now, calm down, I merely wanted to have a word with you about the havoc you've been wreaking in Las Noches lately." The silver haired man behind Aizen widened his grin. _Fuck him_, Grimmjow thought.

"What about it?" he growled.

"Well, so far you've fatally injured all of the espada below you and you've taken to randomly slashing their fraccion in the corridors."

Grimmjow stared giving his usual _'and i give a fuck?' _look. Aizen continued, "what I wanted to say was, continue and you'll face punishment far worse than any your little brain can even fathom," he finished in that calm even tone which suggested that he was speaking of the weather. The only change in his emotion was the glint that flashed in his eyes when he spoke of punishment.

Grimmjow turned and left the room with no sign that he heard what was said and was careful to slam the door as loudly as possible when he left. Noises could be heard from the hallway, marking Grimmjow's route back to his room. "Well, it looks like his temper's improving," said the silver haired man. Aizen replied, "It's only a matter of time before he realizes he can do nothing but bow before me, plus it wouldn't be any fun if he wasn't a little rebellious, now would it?"

* * *

Grimmjow made his way through the corridors hitting everything in sight, he even laid waste to a few walls. He was in an even worse mood now than before. Damaging Aizen's precious Las Noches sure made him feel a lot better. Most of his frustration was relieved as he punched a hole into Ulquiorra's wall on his way back to...Where was he exactly? He didn't notice where his feet were taking him, as he was spending his time wondering how he'd have to pay for damaging Ulquiorra's room, yet grinning all the while. He had ended up in a corridor leading out of Las Noches. He continued out into the fresh night air.

The wind whipped through his icy blue hair, dishevelling his soft locks even more than before. The cool breeze was soothing. He continued his journey through the sand, stopping only when Las Noches was out of sight. He dropped himself onto a mound of sand with a soft thud and lay flat on his back.

"Out of sight, out of mind, huh?" he said softly to himself. His anger seemed to have subsided ninety percent since he left that goddamned place, but with that thought it returned full blast. He slammed his fist into the ground, sending a stream of sand into the air. _Who the fuck did Aizen think he was, the supreme god? Oh yeah, the git was so delusional and vain, he thought he was!_

Aizen could live in his messed up fairy tale world if he wanted, the gay bastard, but Grimmjow wasn't going to play along. He answered to no one. He hated Aizen and Las Noches and all those other espada, he just hated them! That's why life there was so frustrating. His pent up anger was over flowing, he was at breaking point and he hadn't had a fight in so long! Why didn't Aizen commence with the plan, when was this bloody winter war going to happen...well yeah, in winter...but that's not the point. Life was so boring and no one seemed to be bothered and all any one could seem to do was get on his nerves!

Those guys he pummelled deserved what they got, it wasn't his fault they were damn sissies and couldn't hold their own in a fight. They should ensure they could before pissing him off! That fag, Szayel not only dared to come within a ten metre radius of him after be explicitly told to leave him the fuck alone, but he also had the gall to ask to do experiments on him, right after he had a run in with Ulqiorra. Then the fraccion of that ugly ass Nnoitra was looking at him funny, so he gave him something to see and some stupid onlooker said something about an anger management problem, he finished him so quickly he didn't even see who it was.

He needed two things, a break from that infuriating hell hole and a fight with someone actually worth fighting, and he knew how to get both at once!

* * *

"Oh dear, it seems Grimmjow's opened a garganta, whatcha think he's gonna do?"

"Look for a fight with Kurosaki of course, those ruled by their emotions are so predictable," Aizen shook his head to imply 'tsk, tsk'.

"But ain'tcha worried? Those emotions could bore a big hole in your plan."

"But they can also turn the tables sufficiently more in our favour Gin, once we tame the wild cat and get him to obey his master."

"So why don'tcha start whipping him into a trained kitty already?"

"I have, it's all a psychological game"

* * *

"Huh, I wonder where Kurosaki is, I can't sense his reiatsu any where."

Grimmjow searched everywhere for Ichigo, but to no avail. _Don't tell me that dumbass has gone on vacation at a time like this. _He realized, though, that he was not as angry as he thought he'd be over missing a fight with Ichigo, instead, he was simply enjoying his carefree jaunt in the human world. He was away from Las Noches, he'd gone against Aizen's orders and he'd pay any price he'd have to when he got back. It was worth it. He was actually feeling quite at peace, looking up at the sparkling stars against their dark canvas. He was actually considering staying a little longer than was planned, he thought maybe he'd find Ichigo tomorrow after he'd rested and cleared his mind, just when...

"Grimmjow Jaggerjaques, come with me."

**So , I don't really know where this story's going. Feel free to make requests and suggestions. I don't know what pairings either, but I was kinda hoping for grimmXichi. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, this is the next chapter, I know there's not really any substance to the story, but I'll try to get there, I hope it gets better. Hope you enjoy. Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The Dawn

"Grimmjow Jaggerjaques, come with me"

_Shit. To think I was now feeling relaxed and first thing I gotta see is his ugly face!_

"Did you not here me you piece of trash, Aizen-sama is waiting." Said the apathetic Ulquiorra as he turned to the garganta.

Grimmjow was about to rebut when a voice inside his head said 'don't, he's already ruined your peace, why let him get the better of you, don't waste your energy,' and surprisingly, he listened. He didn't keep his mouth shut out of fear or respect or loss of the will to fight, he just accepted that it would be a waste. Why not save it to unleash on Aizen, for bothering him again.

He followed his black haired companion through the garganta and stepped out directly into Aizen's throne room. Here, he held nothing back.

"What the fuck's your problem? Can't you allow someone to sleep in peace! You asshole, wannabe gay pretty boy. What's the idea of sending your kiss ass lackey after me?!" here he shot Ulquiorra a melting stare. All hell had broken loose as Grimmjow continued, flinging insult upon insult at Aizen, questioning his leadership abilities and competence. All of Las Noches heard the Sexta's monologue. He didn't even stop when Ulquiorra pointed his blade at him; he simply incorporated the Cuatra into his rant and drew his sword also.

"Enough!" Aizen's voice was filled with authority, though it was barely above a whisper, "sheath your swords this instant, no reason to get violent." Neither espada moved but at one glance from Aizen, Ulquiorra reluctantly withdrew. However, Grimmjow didn't stir, he shot Aizen a death glare and continued.

"No reason to get violent! I don't need a reason, but I got plenty. I ..."

Grimmjow fell to the floor as he was hit by a tranquilizer dart.

"Thank you Szayel, it actually pierced his hierro, I commend you."

"Well, he may have developed resistance to it if he'd let me use him as the tester when I asked, it serves him right," Szayel snickered.

"However, I don't recall requesting your assistance," Aizen said, a familiar glint in his eyes, "I had every thing under control, those who act out of turn will be punished.

Ulquiorra was ordered to take Grimmjow back to his room and Szayel was punished and informed not to speak of that night again. Aizen's calm demeanour did not betray his inner turmoil. He was their leader, speaking to him like that could not go unpunished, that would not send a good message to the other espada. However, the effects of punishing the overly emotional Sexta could complicate things a lot, based on Grimmjow's reaction. Those who are ruled by their emotions should be so easy to manipulate, and Grimmjow usually was, but he was also rash and eccentric, making things difficult. Aizen knew he would have to thread carefully if his plan were to succeed, this was a challenge, and with that thought, his spirits were renewed, he would not fail.

"So whatcha gonna do?"

"He'll be easier to handle if he calms down a little, it is hard to deal with an overemotional child. Grimmjow wants a break and he also wants some action, so maybe we should give it to him," he replied with a smile.

* * *

Grimmjow awoke the next morning sore all over, and at first, at a loss as to why. Then the events of the previous night came rushing back to him so vividly. He still had a lot he wanted to say to Aizen, it had felt so good to finally lash out at him. Grimmjow Jaggerjaques answered to no one, sure, Aizen was the one who turned him into an espada, but that didn't give him the right to act like his owner. He only followed along with Aizen's plan because of his own desire to attain power, not because he was sympathetic to Aizen's cause.

As far as he was concerned, he wasn't really part of Aizen's whole master plan, just slightly affiliated with it. Of course, this was delusional, it's not like Aizen would just let him pick up and leave like that. But why should he need Aizen to _let him _do anything. He so often thought of breaking free, even at the cost of death, just to keep his dignity, but while it was pride that fuelled his desire to leave, it was this same pride which kept him at Las Noches; he'd finished what he started. He chose this route to get what he wanted and he wasn't going to back down now. Especially after all he'd already undergone, what was a little more to get what he wanted.

But just because he was staying, didn't mean he was going to take shit from anyone. He got off his bed and walked to the hallway, he and Aizen were going to finish their little conversation, and after that, he'd find that pink shithead and teach him a lesson.

As he walked towards Aizen's room, his heightened sense of hearing kicked in.

"You're sending Grimmjow? After last night you think it wise?" he could hear that slime ball Ulquiorra saying, "I would be more than happy to go Aizen-sama, I guarantee success."

"Ulquiorra, you haven't even heard the mission yet."

"But whatever it is, I'm sure there's no room for mistakes, sending Grimmjow is just - "

"Enough Ulquiorra, I understand your concern, but I'm sure Grimmjow is more than capable of this mission plus I think everyone in Las Noches could use a little break, don't you?"

Ulquiorra desisted, "very well, I shall fetch him."

_So, they want to get rid of me, just for that I should refuse, but now isn't the time to be spiteful, hell, if I stay here any longer, I'd probably die of high blood pressure. I do need to get away, but I won't let them know that. _Just then, his musings were interrupted by Ulquiorra, who motioned to follow him. Grimmjow didn't want to seem enthusiastic, but he didn't want to waste time either, the sooner he could leave, the better, so he followed, saying, "I was now going to see that bastard Aizen, I'm not finished with him!" and plastering on his usual scowl. Ulquiorra ignored him.

Together, they entered Aizen's room, Grimmjow still attempting to give Aizen a piece of his mind, though he was eager to leave.

"You bastard! Why'd you call me here, got another tranquilizer hiding? Never mind that, I - "

Aizen held up his hand to silence Grimmjow, and he did, glaring and scowling at the man sitting before him with the neat brown hair. His expression completely masked how much he wanted Aizen to say what he knew he was about to.

"Grimmjow, I have a mission for you."

"Why should I go, I'm not your slave!" Grimmjow rebuked, thoroughly enjoying toying with _his Lord_.

"Because I am your Lord." He knew that was coming. _Lord my ass._

"In your dreams! What type of Lord doesn't even listen to what his subjects have to say!" _Damn, did I just call myself his subject, shit!_

"Grimmjow, I know you're frustrated, but your skills are required for this mission in the human world."

Grimmjow shot Ulquiorra a smirk. _Take that! _Yay, his ticket out of Hueco Mundo for a while, but should he play with Aizens feelings a little more._ I wonder if I can actually get him to beg? Nah, I better quit while I'm ahead._

"Does this mean things are moving forward?"

"Yes, and this mission is crucial."

"Fine, I'll go, finally, some action." Grimmjow smiled inwardly, he was actually going.

"Well, your mission is –"

* * *

_Dammit, how'd I get myself into this? Why'd I have to be so hasty. And I couldn't back out after, Grimmjow Jaggerjaques never backs out, plus that would give Ulquiorra too much satisfaction, can't have that. Actually, thinking about it, I'm a whole world away from those idiots, what could be better, but then again, I've probably got a whole new bunch of idiots to deal with, _he thought as he saw a bunch of giggling girls pointing at him; he bared his fangs, but they just giggled more, _really, what have I gotten myself into._

Just then, Grimmjow heard a scream and felt a surge of the very reiatsu he had scoured the city for the previous night. He rushed of in its direction without second thought.

**That's it. I know there's no inkling to where this is headed, but I'm hoping everything becomes clear soon [to me too]. I was thinking bout the pairings, if any, and I think I'm definitely gonna make it grimmichi, though probably shounen-ai, not yaoi. If you're against that just tell me. As I said, there's no definite plan, so I can adjust to suit. Review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3. the story still hasn't gone anywhere, sorry to disappoint. This chapter is kinda mindless drabble. Hope it's acceptable. Disclaimer: I do not own bleach!**

First Light

Grimmjow sensed the reiatsu of the orange haired shinigami and rushed off in that direction without hesitation. However, by the time he got there, the power surge was gone and Ichigo was nowhere in sight. He sighed. What a disappointment. Then his thoughts were brought back to the mission at hand. Was this really important, or did Aizen want him out of Heuco Mundo so much that he made it up? _Well, fuck him. I needed a break from that place, and if this mission is of no importance to him, then that's great! I'll make this an adventure...if I can._

Grimmjow wanted to make the most of his mission, but could he? Everytime he thought of it, his stomach churned. Hey, wait a minute; Grimmjow Jaggerjaques never backs down from a mission. So what if he did have to go undercover as a _student_? Of course he could do it.

With renewed hopes, Grimmjow made his way to school. People stared and ,Grimmjow couldn't believe it, he was actually feeling a bit self conscious! He ran his hand across the side of his face where his hollow mask usually was. Of course it wasn't there; he was in a gigai. _Where the hell did Aizen get a gigai from? _So why was everyone staring, was it just because he was new?

Just then some kid just walked up to him and held out a hand. _What the...? Who does this guy think he is?_ Grimmjow was using every ounce of his self control not to fling the scrawny little punk into the depths of soul society; he thought that if he failed this early in the mission [even if it really was a fake mission], he might actually see Ulquiorra flash his first _smirk_! Okay, maybe not, but he would definitely wax infinitely on what a failure, even for a piece of trash, he was. Hell no, he wasn't going back this early, to give Ulquiorra that satisfaction; he'd have to avoid unnecessary hostility.

Grimmjow refrained from any acts of violence, except for cracking his knuckles. He lifted his head in acknowledgement of the boy, grunted and continued forward. Damn it! The idiot was following after him. "Hey, Bluey, wait up." _What? _That was it. Grimmjow about faced and knocked his lights out. _Bluey?! _He did resolve to avoid _unnecessary_ hostility.

Grimmjow walked on, silently fuming at the audacity of the boy and at how difficult these humans made things. As he trudged through the crowd, now absorbed in his thoughts, he was oblivious to the stares that followed him, however, now, no one dared to approach him. He found his way to the principal's office on his own. The office was a typical, boring administrator's office, but as Grimmjow was stepping in, he saw what looked like the back of a spiky orange head leaving through the other door. Was that who he thought it was?

Grimmjow was given his time table and a student was assigned to show him around. He did not, however, lose his temper with this one, for, though this boy showed no sign of fear, Grimmjow could tell he was intimidated. He kept a fair distance away, only addressed Grimmjow when necessary and scampered off as soon as he was able. _So some humans do have a sense of self-preservation._ Grimmjow chuckled to himself.

Grimmjow had no recollection of ever being to school before, and he unconsciously found himself waiting in anticipation. Of course, when he realized this, he instantly righted his disposition and went back to his former train of thought; this would be hell. Suddenly, the school bell distracted him from his thoughts. _So here I go._

Grimmjow's hunch was proven right on entering the classroom. There, in the second column from the window, in the second-to-last row sat the substitute shinigami, surrounded by his friends. A grin plastered on Grimmjow's face, things would be interesting after all. It pleased Grimmjow to think that his mere presence would have Ichigo on edge. This was going to be fun!

Grimmjow took his eyes off Ichigo and tried to hide his grin as the teacher addressed him. He introduced himself to the class, trying, but failing to keep his composure owing to Ichigo's expression and those of his friends. He could almost see the cogs in the shinigami's mind going into hyper drive. It pleased him to no end. As he took his seat, he winked at Ichigo, and his grin returned fully as he turned to face front. Unfortunately, the fun stopped there, as class commenced and his seat was as far as possible from Ichigo's.

Grimmjow was at a loss for words after Math class. Actually, no, there were lots of words swimming around in his mind; annoying, infuriating, a waste of time and energy, useless, and lastly, damn hard! He actually commended himself for not storming out or killing that blasted teacher on the spot. Who cared what the integral of cos23x + sinx was? _Wait a minute, did I just remember that? Get a grip Grimmjow!_ He hoped that the next class involved no pi, unless it was the type to eat, he was getting kind of hungry.

As Grimmjow entered his next class, he realized that there were some different faces in the room. Also, Ichigo wasn't in this class. It was English, and they were given an essay to write. It took Grimmjow four pages to realize he quite enjoyed this and that he knew English pretty well. How 'bout that. That was fun; he got to kill Aizen, even if it were only fiction. As he walked out of class, intermingled with his grin was an actual smile.

* * *

At lunch time, Grimmjow was accosted by Ichigo, who took him to the roof of the school. Oh yeah, Ichigo definitely looked agitated. Thoughts like, '_is my calendar cookoo, or is it winter already? Damn it, I've been a bit lax about my training lately. I wonder what's happening. I could use a good fight.' _all flooded his brain.

Why was Grimmjow there, it couldn't just be for a fight, something big was going on, or else he wouldn't be posing as a student. When those thoughts struck Ichigo, it only then occurred to him that he would have never thought that Grimmjow would be able to pull this off, even if it were for the sake of a mission. _Hey, it's halfday already, and there've been no brutal murders. Wow!_ It must really be an important mission if he was trying this hard to keep his cool.

"So, why are you here, I don't really have time for this."

"Isn't it obvious, I was missin' you, Strawberry."

A vein in Ichigo's temple twitched at the nickname the other had given him. "Cut the crap, Jaggerjaques, I told you, I'm busy!"

"Well then, I won't keep you too long...from your deathbed!" At these words, he discarded his gigai, using something similar to Ichigo's Shinigami Representative Badge. Ichigo took this as his cue to do the same. Both swords were drawn, and without a moment's notice, Grimmjow was thrown backwards by a Getsuga Tenshou.

"You really are in a hurry, huh? But you've gotta do better than that, Berry!" he said, as he made a dive for Ichigo. His aim proved true, as he landed a hit on his right shoulder. He thought that the shock of the nickname left Ichigo a little disoriented. Well, no matter if it did or it didn't, it was definitely pissing him off, and it was just something he thought of at the spur of the moment. Today was his day! He was going to unload some of his frustration at last. He sped up and aimed for the face, Ichigo countered.

"Time to bring out that mask!" he said, thoroughly exhilarated, as their swords clashed once again in mid air.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo yelled as their swords met. Grimmjow was flung backward with such force this time, that he went off the roof and slammed into a nearby tree with a deafening 'Bang!' The tree shook, leaves fell and Grimmjow rushed toward Ichigo. _Damn that brat, he was looking at his watch at a time like this! What could he possibly be in such a hurry for?_

"Not bad. You can pack that much power without the mask! You're a regular pikachu now, aren't ya?" _Eh, what's a pikachu? Why the hell did I say that?_

Ichigo raised his brows. "I don't know what you're – ", Ichigo stopped, puzzled. Grimmjow had frozen after he spoke and was now in deep thought. _What the hell? Was Grimmjow messing with him?_ He cleared his throat to attract Grimmjow's attention and charged forward. Grimmjow swore as Ichigo cut him across the face.

"So, you still haven't told me, what's up? Why'd you decide to pursue academics?" Ichigo was still worried about the so called plan. Grimmjow grinned, showing his marvellous white fangs.

"Well, my supreme ass of an overlord wouldn't want me revealing important details to the enemy, now would he? But I'm sure you can figure it out." A sly smile passed his lips. The more turmoil he threw Ichigo's mind in, the better he felt. As he was about to attack, the bell rang, and for some reason, Grimmjow stopped. _What the hell am I doin'?_ He walked toward his gigai and resumed human form. Ichigo stared dumbfounded. He once again cleared his throat and searched for his voice.

"What the hell are you doin'?"

_I don't know!_ "The bell rang," Grimmjow replied matter of factly. Ichigo gaped. _What the hell am I saying?!_

"_The_ Grimmjow Jaggerjaques is walking away from a fight?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to be late for class, now would I? I can't do anything that might complicate my mission," he winked. Ichigo blanched. Grimmjow felt a rush of contentment and amusement wash over him._ Oh, so that's what I was doin', I'm so good, sometimes I can't even keep up with myself. Look at how worried he is._

Grimmjow left the stupefied Ichigo on the roof and made his way to class, thoroughly proud of himself.

* * *

An internal battle was raging within Grimmjow as he sat in class the next period; which was worse, Math or Geography? That was the question. Math was hell, that was true. What was with all those hard equations, and just what was the point of figuring them out? But at least that gave you something to do, if you looked at it like a little mini battle with the equations. It was still sort of barely tolerable. He was just about to convince himself that he'd rather marry a parametric equation than listen to this lady say one more word about rural to urban migration, when Ichigo walked in. Grimmjow immediately shook himself out of his mental stupor. He had to see this; this lady looked really strict. He wasn't disappointed.

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Mr. Kurosaki."

Ichigo had the usual scowl plastered on his face, but instantly adjusted his expression to apologetic as she looked up.

"I'm sorry, something came up," he said, definite anxiety etched on his face. Grimmjow was amused. _The Kurosaki Ichigo _could have that look on his face. This was too good.

"I don't care what came up. The only excuse I'll take is if you had a case of chronic diarrhoea," she smiled, "so, Kurosaki, did you?"

Ichigo stared. He didn't dare tell her no, this was the teacher who could probably awaken fear on Ulquiorra's usually indifferent visage, but that didn't mean he was going to give her the satisfaction of toying with him. Hell no. He wasn't even going to acknowledge the question.

Grimmjow's patience was wearing thin. This was pure comedy, cut the suspense. He wished he had a camcorder. Just then, a text book came flying toward Ichigo's head. _Wow, she's got good aim and timing, he barely dodged it._ That was it, he was at his limit. He burst out in fits of barely audible laughter, everyone was too absorbed in the entertainment to notice.

"You know Kurosaki, I think you of all people should be as regular and attentive as possible in this class, to try and get something through that thick skull of yours," here she flicked him on his forehead, then reached for a piece of paper on her desk, "especially after having the honour of attaining the lowest mark on the last test." She held up the paper, Grimmjow had to cover his mouth with one hand and hold on to the desk for support with the other. He couldn't see the mark, due to the water in his eyes, but judging from the peals of laughter that burst out throughout the class, it was pretty bad.

So, okay, _that_ particular Geography class was very much too his liking. That teacher was now one of his favourite people. He'd attend the rest of her boring classes just as thanks for this one day, and in the event that this little episode was to be continued and it was, that very class. By the end of the class, his stomach was hurting so much, but it was worth it.

* * *

Ichigo snatched his paper from the teacher's hand, shot Grimmjow one hateful glare, and made his way to his seat amidst all the laughter. _That bastard's laughing at me. How dare he? Plus, this is so humiliating. He'll never take me seriously again._ Ichigo sunk into his seat, and bent his head down low. The boring lesson continued as if it were never interrupted, with the exception of Grimmjow, still snickering, who was awake now. He kept glancing in Ichigo's direction to see the shattered pride of the shinigami. However, most of that pride was still intact, for Ichigo returned all of Grimmjow's glances with defiant glares, that said, 'you got a problem?!'.

"Kurosaki, stop making goo-goo eyes across the class."

Once again, there was laughter, Ichigo glared at the teacher instead but she ignored him. During the lesson, Rukia passed him a note.

_Ichigo, what happened? I was so worried. I felt your and grimmjow's reiatsu lunch time and then he came to class and you didn't. Why were you late?_

He got out a new piece of paper and replied.

_Something big's happening. I don't know much, but I'll tell you what happened later._

As he was about to pass the note, the devil herself swiped it from him.

"What have we here, now you're passing notes? Kurosaki, haven't you had enough? I always suspected that you had ADD." The class roared again. "Let's see what was so important."

Grimmjow was already banging his fists on his desk, the amusement now overbearing, when she read the note. He sat up straight and ceased laughing, instead, his grin, and pride at his own ingenuity, returned, accompanied by a warm feeling of fulfilment. He hadn't only worried the shit out of Ichigo, he'd also contributed significantly to this whole scenario. _Today is definitely my lucky day!_

"Kurosaki, detention, this evening, two hours." _Oh yes it is._

Ichigo banged his head on his desk. _Today's just not my day._

"Kurosaki, three hours, don't damage the furniture!"

* * *

_Wow, I couldn't have asked for a better first day of school, _thought Grimmjow, as he headed back to..._shit, I didn't find a place to stay, dammit! _

**So, how was it? Please review. I know there are no pairings yet, please bear with me. This story pretty much just goes wherever my fingers find themselves on the keyboard. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own beach or any of its characters.**

Grimmjow Vs. Spaghetti!

Grimmjow was in the human world, with no place to stay, what was he going to do? He didn't think of that before. Shouldn't Aizen have arranged that for him? Ugh! He was at a loss, and if he wasn't the great Sexta Espada, he would've been outwardly panicking right then. Instead, his response was anger, agitation and anxiety.

All he could think of was how much he wanted to open a garganta and cuss Aizen to oblivion. Oh yeah, that would definitely make him feel better, but at the moment, he had to figure out a plan.

* * *

Ichigo opened the door to the room in which he had detention to find that he was not alone. Ishida was sitting in a desk to the back of the class awaiting the teacher.

"Ishida, what did _you _do?"

"I felt Grimmjow and your reiatsu and went to the roof to see what happened," he replied, "When I got there, you were both gone, but the roof was in a mess."

Ichigo continued to stare at him puzzled. He continued, "The principal caught me there, assumed I caused the damages, though I tried to explain that I couldn't have. In the end he accepted that, but I still got detention for not being in class."

Comprehension dawned on Ichigo's face and Ishida went on, "And now, I'm stuck here with you."

Ichigo ignored the last comment and proceeded to tell Ishida all he had learned from the fight on the roof [which wasn't really much, so the story was very short].

"So, Grimmjow's in the human world...with a plan?" Ishida confirmed. Ichigo nodded [ he didn't notice the mocking tone in Ishida's voice]. "That's some _exceptional _recon you did there Kurosaki," he concluded, each word drenched with sarcasm. Ichigo glared at him, "Well let's see if you can do any better, you –"

"Kurosaki!" came a strict voice. Dammit, did this lady have good timing or what? Ichigo took his seat and stared at her, his usual scowl plastered on his face. He was getting himself ready to waste the next three hours of his life thanks to this demon teacher. He could've used that time to uncover the details of Grimmjow's motives, but he couldn't muse over that now, he just had to make the best of it. As his gaze drifted over to Ishida, his relief at having company was shattered as realization whacked him in the head, hard. Obviously Ishida wasn't stuck here for an entire _three_ hours; that was the demon's special punishment bestowed only upon him. He pondered upon how long it would be till it was just him and her, pure hell! His thoughts of the torture she might put him through were broken by her voice.

"Kurosaki, get up! Can't you see the windows need cleaning?" It was amazing how Ichigo's face could display both his confusion and irritation simultaneously. "Did you think I was going to let you spend three leisurely hours _resting_?" Ichigo got up at a deliberately slow pace and proceeded to do what he was told. The teacher then turned her attention to Ishida. From the evil glint in her eye, Ichigo could tell that whatever was in store for Ishida would almost be on par with 'Ichigo-level'.

"And now you, go help him, and while you're at it I would like you to explain to me what was so important that you skipped my class, Uryu."

Ishida stuttered through an excuse, making absolutely no progress with the window he was cleaning. "Oh, so that's it, well I don't really give a damn, how dare you skip my class? I don't care if you are only supposed to be here for an hour, you will remain and assist Kurosaki with his chores till I'm satisfied, now, leave that window and go bring me some tea!"

_Tea?! What the hell was wrong with that woman?_ Ishida returned from the staff room with a steaming hot cup of tea, hoping in the back of his mind that she would somehow get severely burned, thereby bringing him some comfort. Who the hell did she think he was, her _slave_? For the next hour and a half, he and Ichigo straightened the desks in the classroom, swept and mopped the floors, cleaned the blackboards and other menial tasks. It was hell! No matter how clean and neat they got something, she would insist that it was not good enough and work them till she was contented. They also had to work amidst her constant insults, criticisms and the random questions she would bombard them with.

When the hallway and class were finally acceptable, they returned to the windows [she kept switching them from job to job before they completed one, making things more complicated and confusing and frustrating them. Ishida was at boiling point, and as he was the calmer of the two, he wondered how Kurosaki hadn't snapped and murdered her as yet; was he getting better at controlling his emotions?]

They had finally reached the last window. Thank god! As Ichigo peered into the freedom that lay beyond the panel of glass, he noticed Grimmjow sitting under a tree, eyes closed, fingers interlocked, and a look of intense frustration on his face. What could he be thinking about? He pointed this out to Ishida.

"Something going wrong with his plans?" he asked.

"Either that or he's wondering which class to eat for dinner."

"But its gotta be something big that he's actually worried so much that he's stopped to _think_"

"True. He is usually 'kill first, think never'."

"Hey, did I give you two permission to speak, come here at once!"

They instinctively obeyed; they didn't want an extra hour of hell added to their sentence. Didn't she have a life outside of torturing kids, something to do after school? "Uuryu, you can leave now, Kurosaki, you head up to the roof," she ordered. Ichigo complied. He did cause the damages, so the least he could do was clean up the mess a little. He envied Uuryu, who was free; no doubt she'd make his task more difficult than it already was. He heard Ishida's footsteps fade, and soon after, felt a blast of cool evening air hit his face as he alighted on the roof. He was tired, but it would soon be over. He promised himself he would never get detention again.

* * *

Grimmjow sat under the tree, the cool breeze ruffling his icy hair, his sharp sapphire eyes a window to his focused mind. He was thinking deeply. Aizen had provided him with what he thought were all the necessities, but he had left out one very important thing, a place to stay! Arrancar didn't usually spend long term time in the real world, and when shinigami came from soul society, they usually free loaded, but Grimmjow Jaggerjeaques took favours from no one. He was the great Sexta Espada, he had pride, and no challenge was too great for him. He had some money Aizen had provided, he would find somewhere to rent. That's what he'd do.

But, would he get a place tonight? Did he have enough money for that? _Well, I've got to stop sitting and wondering and start searching! _He got up from his comfortable seat, and made his way out of the school compound. His long search was to no avail, and the sun was sinking. Damn, he had to find a place soon! He walked in the wake of the street lights. Sighing, under the red sky, he was about to resign all hope. He was exhausted and sweaty from his search. He stood in the dim glow of the street lights trying to find a solution to his situation.

He was at a dead end. He'd be sleeping on the streets tonight. Oh well, it was one night, he'd just try looking for a place again tomorrow. He watched the sun fully sink below the horizon. The traffic flow on the street was increasing as more and more people made their way home. He looked around, some were in a hurry, some were strolling, some alone, others either chatting animatedly in groups, or walking pleasantly with family and then there were all the cars on the road. Strangely, the hustle and bustle of the traffic seemed peaceful to Grimmjow; seeing that everyone was happily returning home.

Grimmjow quickly attempted to hide himself behind a pole as he spotted his favourite shinigami within the crowd. He really didn't want to meet him right now. But despite this, his eyes followed the orange hair, which, oddly, was not what he had identified the shinigami by, instead, it was the scowl amidst the sea of happy faces. He chuckled. Did Ichigo ever smile? He of all people had to be happy that this day was drawing to a close! Even when Ichigo's conspicuous hair was out of sight, Grimmjow could still feel his ridiculously out of control reiatsu spewing out; I was a miracle that there weren't hordes of hollows on a rampage.

Grimmjow remained hidden behind the pole as he watched the sea of people thin. He really didn't want to be seen by any of his classmates and if he was, there was no way he'd let them find out about his situation. A thug on his sleeve disrupted his musings.

"Are you playing hide and seek?" asked a little girl, probably in pre-school. Grimmjow surprised himself, for he responded, and in a kind tone he didn't know he possessed.

"No, I'm just passing some time," he said with a smile. _What's a little girl doing out alone at this time, it's dangerous! _"What about you?" he asked softly, as he took a seat on the side walk.

The girl followed. "I'm waiting for my mommy." She smiled back at him.

"Oh, do you have long again to wait?" _The poor little girl must be lonely waiting here, and it's getting darker._

"No, mommy'll be here soon!" she chirped.

Grimmjow looked at her cute brown eyes and said, "Well, in that case, I'll wait with you. My name's Grimmjow, what's yours?"

"That's a weird name," she stated matter-of-factly.

Grimmjow grinned, "Yeah, it is."

"Mine's Tomoyo."

"That's pretty," he said. "So, what school do you go to?"

Grimmjow couldn't believe it, he was actually having and _enjoying_ a civil conversation. In what seemed like no time at all, a blue car pulled up by the pair on the sidewalk; Tomoyo's mom had arrived. Out of the car stepped a lady with a familiar face framed with short brown hair and spectacles. Grimmjow had also already seen the navy blue skirt suit for the day; it was the Maths teacher!

"Tomoyo, I'm so sorry for being late," she said as she hugged her daughter, "I got held back at a parent-teacher conference, are you okay?" Grimmjow wanted to hide as quickly as possible, but his feet were rooted to the spot.

"I'm fine, Mr. Grimmjow has been keeping me company," she said, beaming with delight.

The mother turned to face Grimmjow, "Ah, the new student, thank you for looking after my daughter, Mr. Jaggerjaques."

"No problem, miss." _Damn! What's her name again?_

"Well, you shouldn't be out so late, why don't you head home?"

Grimmjow was about to comply when Tomoyo said "But he doesn't have anywhere to go home to."

Grimmjow felt the colour drain out of his face. He had been so comfortable speaking with Tomoyo, that he accidentally let that slip.

"Is that true?" inquired miss maths teacher concernedly. The look on Grimmjow's face contradicted his verbal denial of this fact and he could see that Ms. Maths wasn't fooled. She pierced him with a look that said, 'do you think I'm stupid?'. She held her gaze till he gave in. _Wow, teachers were good. Did they go through some sort of special training? Not even Aizen could get him to confess something he didn't want to._

"So, what are you gonna do tonight?" Grimmjow shrugged in response. "Well, I don't know the situation, but I can't leave you out here, would you like to stay in our guest room for the while?" she asked.

Grimmjow didn't know how to respond. She was his teacher, staying with her didn't feel right. What if people found out that not only was he homeless, but he was so desperate, he was staying with the teacher? He had to turn her down. But then again, she already knew about his situation, so would staying one night make that much of a difference? And he could find his own place tomorrow for sure. What should he do? Just then, a dark cloud that had been threatening for a while finally unleashed its wrath. Tomoyo was placed in the car and the miss was still awaiting Grimmjow's answer. It was as if the water droplets pounded not only Grimmjow himself, but his resolve as well, for he eventually resigned to his exhaustion and accepted the offer.

He got into the passenger seat of the car and all three departed from the scene. As the car pulled off, he snapped out of his state of shock, and attempted to show some gratitude, "Thank you very much Miss –" oopsie, he still didn't remember her name.

She looked across at him, "It's Mrs. Kamiya," she supplied.

"Right, thanks a lot Mrs. Kamiya," he said in a small voice.

"Well Jaggerjaques, I would like to know why you have no where to stay."

Who the hell did she think she was, he wasn't going to answer that, it was none of her business! She was too damn nosy. But when she looked at him, hers eyes displayed genuine care and concern. Why? It didn't make sense, she barely knew him, and yet she cared so much, she was even letting him into her home. Humans! Their emotions would be their downfall. But even as Grimmjow thought this, he let _his_ emotions get the better of him. He felt that due to her selfless kindness, she deserved some sort of explanation. But he couldn't tell her he was an Espada working for a conceited idiot who wanted to destroy her town, could he?

"Is your situation at home not good, did you run away?" Once again, Grimmjow could see that this question was derived from pure concern for him.

"Well, you see, my parents died a while ago and I had no other relatives," he began. _Grimmjow, where are you going with this? _"I had to stop school to get a job to support myself. Finally, I earned enough money to come to Karakura Town, my mom always wanted to live here, and we were going to move this summer, so I decided to come. I also decided to restart school, that's why I'm a little older than everyone else, I bought all my books and supplies and arrived today, but I forgot to find a place to stay. I guess I overlooked some basic preparations, and now I have to find a job and a place to stay here, _and_ I've become a burden to you, I'm sorry," he finished in a low tone, his face the perfect sorrowful and pitiable image. Oh yeah, Grimmjow Jaggerjaques could act!

She turned to him once more, tears shining in her eyes, "You poor child!" _She believed it already? She sure is gullible. Seriously, the human race has survived this long, how? _Grimmjow was silent for the rest of the drive home. He sometimes stole glances at Tomoyo's sleeping form. As he watched the force with which the rain battered the earth, he couldn't help but think that this child was his saviour! He felt a twinge of guilt for lying to Kamiya, but hey, a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do.

The car came to a stop outside a two storey house with a neatly trimmed yard. It was a very nice house. Grimmjow stepped out of the car and into the night, which had now fully fallen. Mrs. Kamiya lifted Tomoyo out of the car, and motioned to Grimmjow to follow her. She led him inside the house and showed him to his room. He thanked her once more and entered.

The walls of the room were mint green [he could live with that, and even if he couldn't, who was he to complain?], purple curtains hung from the two sets of windows [it was a corner room], a desk, a bed and a closest furnished the space, and there was an adjoining bathroom.

"Grimmjow, here are some clean sheets." Mrs. Kamiya had returned with lilac sheets in her hand. Grimmjow took them and as he turned to make the bed, his stomach let out a loud growl. Ugh! Why did that have to happen? He could've kicked himself! He felt the colour rise in his cheeks, and he turned around to meet Kamiya's smile, "Dinner will be ready soon, okay?"

Grimmjow nodded without meeting her eyes. He heard the door close. He felt bad, first he was intruding on their home, and now their food too. _What ever happened to 'Grimmjow Jaggerjaques took favours from no one'?_ He emptied the contents of his bag, in which he had been carrying everything he had come to this world with; a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hair brush, deodorant, an extra uniform, one other change of clothes, a towel and all his school supplies. Yeah, he carried all that around in his bag all day!

After making the bed, Grimmjow went to take a shower. Whilst examining his maskless face in the mirror, he heard Mrs. Kamiya announce that dinner was ready. With one last thought of 'Damn, I look good' to cheer him up, Grimmjow departed for dinner. On entering the dining room, from where he had heard her voice, Grimmjow saw the table set for three. Tomoyo was already awake once again and sitting at the table.

"Mr. Grimmjow, come sit by me," she said with a smile and Grimmjow willingly obliged. Mrs. Kamiya served Grimmjow a plate of pasta. Grimmjow thanked her and picked up his fork, but before he began to eat, a thought struck him, did he really need this for sustenance? He wasn't human, but he did feel curious. Should he eat it? He was interrupted from his thoughts by Tomoyo.

"You don't like spaghetti?" she questioned.

Once again, Grimmjow found himself answering honestly, "I don't know, I've never eaten it before."

The warm gaze of his teacher fell on him once more as she said, "Well then, eat up, you'll never know what your missing until you try!"

Grimmjow tried to pick up some spaghetti with his fork, but it kept falling off before it reached his mouth. Tomoyo was doubled over with laughter and even Kamiya was stifling her laughter. Grimmjow stared at them, both hurt and confused, but those feelings were quickly being replaced with his usual annoyance and anger. Slam! His fist hit the table and his eyes narrowed in agitation, he was just about to bare his fangs when he noticed that this reaction seemed to amuse them even more.

"What?!"

"Calm down Grimmjow!" Kamiya responded, still giggling, "You don't have to get so angry."

"But you were laughing at me!"

"So? It was funny, come on, think about, if the situation was reversed, wouldn't you have laughed? I'm sorry if it bothered you but I didn't mean anything bad by it."

Grimmjow calmed down a little and thought about it. Sure, it must have looked funny but still, he didn't like to be made fun of! He was still angry.

"Oh, come on, lighten up a bit. Can't you take a little joke? I said I'm sorry."

Grimmjow didn't budge, his arms were crossed and he was staring intently downward.

"Grimmjow! Your spaghetti's getting cold, eat! If you keep acting like a child, you're only gonna make me laugh more."

Grimmjow raised his head; he _was_ acting like a child. Sheesh, he was so stupid! He grinned a little when he realized this, well, he wasn't pouting anymore. He picked up his fork hesitantly, about to make a next attempt. It was him versus the pasta. Who will be victorious? Yeah, spaghetti takes the gold, this match has been decided! This time, the audience contained their laughter to the best of their abilities. Grimmjow sighed and dropped his fork. _I guess it's my defeat, I give up!_

"You have to twirl it, like this, see," Tomoyo kindly demonstrated. Grimmjow mimicked her, wow, it was working! He tasted the first mouthful. Awesome! He began shovelling spaghetti into his mouth as fast as he could, maybe a little too fast. He reached for his glass, his first sip of Coca Cola pushing spaghetti to second place in his opinion. It was good.

"Grimmjow, slow down, or you'll choke," chuckled Kamiya.

He smiled. "Thanks," he said to her, "You too Tomoyo...but I'd appreciated if you don't laugh at me so much," he added, as he noticed their grins widening once again. Tomoyo handed him a napkin. _Why?_ He followed her gaze, oh, he dropped sauce from the spaghetti on his T-shirt, damn! He began wiping it quickly and frantically. He glared at them when he realized the laughter was about to start up again.

"Sheesh Grimmjow, I didn't realize you were so sensitive."

"I – AM – NOT –_SENSITIVE!_"

"You're proving my point!"

Ugh! She was getting him so angry! Why did she keep bugging him, _and why was she still grinning!_ Then he realized that it wasn't the usual I-wanna-rip-her-to-shreds angry, it was a different angry, not so intense. Even though he was angry, he too was laughing afterwards.

* * *

Grimmjow went to bed, feeling happy and filled, was it the spaghetti? He lay down on the bed. It was comfy. _Some first day huh?_

_**Yeah, but everything turned out okay, didn't it?**_

_They're really nice people._

_**They're crazy, I could be some psycho serial killer and they've just let me into there home. **_

_I _am_ a psycho killer, kinda. Humans, what the hell is wrong with them?_

_**I used to be a human too.**_

_Yeah, but I'm sure I was never so reckless! Anyways, I made it through one day!_

_**And I enjoyed it, didn't I? But I feel bad for freeloading.**_

_I guess it's just part of the experience. I hope I can make it up to her some day._

_**Well, I can start by doing the homework she assigned.**_

_But I'm so tired. But I guess I should. When do I have Maths again?_

_**First period tomorrow.**_

_Seriously?_

Grimmjow slowly clambered out of bed and checked his timetable. He was right, first period tomorrow. He pulled out his book and tried to make sense of what they did that day. It looked so hard! After a few questions of feeling lost and hopeless, he started to get the hang of it, he even _wanted_ to solve the questions correctly. It was just one more challenge to the great Espada. When he finished he was not confident in his work, for it was his first time, and he was lost from beginning to end, but he felt a sense of accomplishment. He didn't realize it at first, but it was pride. He was proud of himself. He was almost certain he had gotten at least one right coming down to the end, and he would just have to work to get better, after all, he couldn't give her more reasons to laugh at him, could he?

He packed his bag for the next day and crawled back into bed. He took one last glance out the window at the star speckled sky and closed his eyes.

_Think I was any good at Maths when I was alive?_

_**Doubt it!**_

_So what am I gonna do?_

_**Go to sleep?**_

_No, I mean what am I gonna make of this mission?_

_**An adventure. Tomorrow is when it really starts; finding a job, getting an apartment, and gaining a ton of other experiences! Maybe even try to relive what life as a human might've been like!**_

_What?! Human?_

_**Yeah, it'll be fun. Make the best of this **_**vacation.**

_What? Vacation, I'm dreaming right, be human?_

_**It's just another challenge, isn't it? A little change is good, enjoy this opportunity.**_

_Yeah, maybe I should try to do more with this chance than just driving Kurosaki to a nervous break down._

_**Even try to make friends?**_

_No way! Who needs friends?_

_**Is that cause I can't make friends?**_

_Of course not, I can and I will!_

_**Really?**_

_Yes, now it's time to sleep, I've got to be well rested for tomorrow. And I've learned one important thing today!_

_**What's that?**_

_I like spaghetti!_

* * *

"Lord Aizen, what are you doing out here?" Ulquiorra stepped out of the garganta and looked at the two storey house which held Aizen's and Gin's gaze.

"Nothing, just entertaining ourselves, come Gin let's return!"

" Sure, but ain'tcha just wasting time putting 'im here. It ain't like he's got any real purpose for bein' here, is it?"

"Would you rather have him reeking havoc in Heuco Mundo right now? Everything will come into play in time Gin. Be patient."

"Oh, it really doesn't make a difference to me, I was just curious."

The three men stepped into the garganta leaving behind the twinkling night sky.

**Sorry for the late update. And I know what you're thinking, spaghetti? They should've been eating ramen or soba, right? But I was eating spaghetti when I wrote it so that's what was on my mind! Hopefully I'll update soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer, I do not own bleach, nor its wonderful characters.**

**Grimmy, Paint A Picture...**

Karakura Town was greeted by yet another day, as the sun rose above the horizon in all its resplendent glory. It cast its light and warmth on each and every area, structure and creature. The cherry blossom trees, the embodiment of springtime, with their lush branches of pink were scattered throughout the town. Perched atop these branches were the birds, serenading the inhabitants with their melodious wake up calls. The soothing sounds were part of almost everyone's morning routine. _Almost _everyone.

Thump! A mass of entangled sheets hit the ground. From it emerged an irate Grimmjow. _What the hell?_ First, his rest was disturbed by sudden unbearable brightness, then the high pitched, annoying tweety-chirpy sounds stared and finally, in the effort to get out of bed and address these issues [and by address, I mean pummel whoever's responsible within an inch of their life, then put them through the most cruel torture imaginable and _then _end their life in the most brutal way possible], he got stuck in his sheets. His attempt to free himself resulted in face to floor contact.

Finally free from his restraints, he tossed the sheets back onto his bed and stretched, his senses coming back to him. _It was morning!_ This epiphany was the result of the immense overwork of the grinding gears in his head. It took Grimmjow a while to fully grasp the situation, especially since the birds refused to cease the annoying tweets and chirps. Ugh! Staring at the green walls of his temporary lodging, Grimmjow sighed and decided he should get ready for school. It was so unfair, he couldn't even complain that Aizen had turned on the sun to early! _Hey, wait a minute, if no one turns on the sun in the real world, how does it come on? The real world sure is full of mysteries._

After he had gotten dressed, Grimmjow ran his hands through his hair a few times to achieve his usual 'Grimmjow is a badass' look. Finally satisfied with his hair, he removed himself from in front of the mirror and made his way down the stairs, all the while try his best to refrain from unbuttoning his shirt. Seriously, being a human had such constraints, but he had told himself he was going to fit in, so if humans _buttoned_ their shirts at school, he would try his best to also.

On entering the living room, Grimmjow saw the math teacher and Tomoyo, already dressed.

"Good morning, Grimmjow," Mrs. Kamiya said, while Tomoyo smiled, "I made you breakfast."

Grimmjow was shocked. But, then again, looking back on the night before, he realized he should have seen it coming, she was so caring. "Doumo," he replied sincerely. He sat at the table once again with his two companions and began to eat his meal. The breakfast consisted of tamagoyaki, onigiri and natto. It was one of the best breakfasts Grimmjow had ever had. He had to admit, for a math teacher, she could really cook.

After washing the dishes, she said, "Okay, are you both ready to leave?" Grimmjow looked puzzled. "You know, for school," she elaborated, "Oh, and don't forget to take your bento."

Grimmjow thanked her once more for the food, but politely refused the drop to school. He would walk. After ensuring that Grimmjow had the route to school committed to memory, they left the house.

"Enjoy your day, Gimmjow!" Tomoyo said to him in her cute voice. He smiled at her and said, "You too," in return. Then both parted.

As Grimmjow was no longer sleepy, the chirping of the birds seemed quite enjoyable. He took in the scenery and its multitude of colours. There was the lush green lawn that grew in some yards, houses of different sizes and styles, the pets in some homes, and last but not least, the trees whose pink blossoms would put Szayel's hair to shame. It was all so refreshing in contrast to the white wall and endless stretches of sand to which he was accustomed. Also, the people, in their different clothes, making their way to their destinations, be it by car or on foot, was a change from the ordinary. They greeted each other with 'Good morning's and friendly waves. Grimmjow couldn't stop himself from admitting it; it was nice.

This stroll wasn't just for his enjoyment, however. He kept a sharp look out for job vacancies and places for rent but to no avail. He arrived at school much quicker than anticipated, and without any luck in his search. On entering the classroom, he saw Ichigo and a few of his friends already seated. Then, he heard "ichigoo ~!" as one of the shinigami's friends, the one with the brown hair, sped into class, making a beeline for Ichigo. This startled Grimmjow. _I wonder what's up with him. _But then Grimmjow noticed that none of the others even reacted to the alarming entrance, in fact, they acted as if they didn't notice anything out of the usual, this puzzled him even more.

Then, when it looked as if there was going to be a head on collision between the shinigami and his friend, Ichigo quickly shifted to the side. He then elbowed the other in the face and watched him fall to the floor. After, he resumed his seat and ignored the friend, who now had tears rushing down his cheeks, complaining about how Ichigo was being so distant. Okay, Grimmjow was officially confused now as the group continued their conversation as though there was no interruption, despite the crying teenager. The only explanation Grimmjow could think of for this behaviour seemed quite accurate and suitable to him; Ichigo and his friends were a bunch of freaks!

Grimmjow was only aware that he had been staring when Ichigo been to return it with a glare. He quickly turned his face when he realized but his attention was drawn by the one with the brown hair, who had stopped crying.

"Hey, you're the new kid, Grimmjow, is it?" he said, reaching one hand forward, "I'm Kiego Asano."

Grimmjow stared at his hand, unsure what to do as this was one of Ichigo's friends. As there was no respsonse from Grimmjow, Kiego quickly withdrew his hand but continued nonetheless, "Well, I hope you're doing well here, so what school'd you transfer from?" Grimmjow could tell that all eyes from those in Ichigo's group were on him. He was about to reply with a 'that ain't your business' and a snarl, but before he could, the short dark haired shinigami's phone beeped.

She and Ichigo quickly got up, giving some unbelievably lame excuse for their departure and disrupting the conversation. The group noticed that Grimmjow had disappeared along with the two. He had felt it, it was the reiatsu of an arrancar, no doubt, at the level of an Espada, but not one he was familiar with. He was curious; what could Aizen be up to? He followed the shinigami.

The arrancar had jet black hair, hazel eyes and a rather handsome face. Like Grimmjow, he was tanned and muscular, and from the nine tattooed on his left arm, he was an espada. _So, Aizen finally found a replacement for Arruruerie, huh. _He had a serious look on his face, as he turned to Ichigo and more demanded than inquired, "You Kurosaki?!"

Ichigo nodded and drew Zangetsu, "And you?"

"I am the Novena Espada, Zane Lyca," he replied with a growl. Then, he crouched a little, fangs bared, and then leapt forward. Ichigo dodged the attack and came at the new Espada from behind, creating a deep gash on the man's right shoulder. He was then about to deal another blow, when Zane sped up and parried the attack, he then got beside Ichigo and hit him with a brilliantly executed ryu-sou-sen.

Despite the multiple gashes on his body, Ichigo was still conscious, he thrust Zangetsu forward but missed the man by an inch. Zane sped up again, a mocking look on his face. An angered Ichigo increased his speed to match that of the espada. Then there was a shout of "Getsuga Tenshou!" and the pale blue crescent shape blast hit the arrancar across his chest. He was thrown backwards and coughed up some blood. Ichigo used this little time to catch his breath then he was bringing his sword down on Zane once again. He made contact, but only barely, as the man was quick to respond. He sonidoed to behind Ichigo, but Ichigo dodged the blow coming at him from behind. Turning to Zane, he said, "So, why haven't you released yet?"

"I would never show my release to a piece of trash like you!" he spat, and directed a cero at Ichigo. Ichigo's response wasn't quick enough and the cero hit him on his shoulder. Grimmjow still couldn't believe his ears, the way the guy said 'trash', it was exactly like Ulquiorra. _Great, now there are two of them! At least this one's not an unemotional git, AND he's below me, maybe I can make use of him. _A sly grin took up residence on Grimmjow's face.

Ichigo was clutching his right shoulder with his left arm, Zangetsu held up in front of him in a defensive position. Zane smiled. He held up his sword, and then –

_What the hell, did he just disappear? _Grimmjow stared in disbelief. He was wrenched from his state of shock by the yell, "Ku-Zu-Ryu-Sen!"

Zane was confident, no one could stop this attack, especially in an injured state. Hell, they can't even see it coming. _Kurosaki won't even have noticed that I've disappeared yet, time to strike. _He gripped his sword, ready to make his nine simultaneous strikes, but before he could even hit one vital point, an excruciating pain shot up his left leg. _No way, he couldn't have...but this move can't be defeated by chance, what the hell? _Zane dropped to his knees. Ichigo, still clutching his shoulder, advanced on him, his attire now slightly different; his shinigami robes were replaced by a long black coat. In his hand, he held a long black sword, much thinner than previously, also the sword now had a proper guard and a hilt. "Ban Kai," was all that Ichigo stated, as he appeared in front of Zane.

Zane stood up despite the immense agony in his leg. There was no way he was going to lose. Using sonido, he once more situated himself beside Ichigo, then he twisted his body and swung his sword, shouting, "Ryu-kan-sen." He put all his power into the attack, but before he could strike the base of Ichigo's skull, the shinigami had already moved. Before he realized was what happening, Zane was hit directly with a getsuga tenshou, the gash crisscrossing with the previous one, but this one was much deeper. Blood was flowing profusely, but Zane refused to give in. Still standing, he held his ground, clutching his chest with one arm and trying to maintain his grip on his sword with the other. He directed another cero at Ichigo, but Ichigo dodged this once, then he slashed at Zane's back. Zane bit back the cry of agony wanting to burst forth.

"Why did Aizen send you here?"

"I ain't obligated to tell scum like you anything!" he responded.

"Tell me now!" Ichigo demanded.

Zane scoffed. He gripped his sword tighter and attempted attacking Ichigo again, but his remaining strength was not sufficient. He couldn't keep up with the shinigami, and if he did manage to attack, it may have no effect due to the lack of power behind it. Still, he didn't give up, until-

A garganta opened and out stepped Ulquiorra. Ichigo immediately changed his stance to defensive.

"Zane, let's go," came Ulquiorra's monotone voice.

Zane was reluctant to leave, his eyes filled with determination, his grip on his sword tightening.

"Aizen-sama is pleased. You have fulfilled what you came here to, you have fought with Kurosaki Ichigo without using your release and escaped relatively unscathed." At this, Zane raised his eyebrows. Ulquiorra took a moment to scan the numerous gashes and cuts, the torn, bloodstained pieces of formerly white clothing and the clear lack of stamina the man possessed.

"Well, both arms are still intact," he commented and Grimmjow could swear he saw a ghost of a smile on the Cuatra's usually emotionless face, "And you're still standing, which is more than I can say for some _people_."

"Hey, bastard, you better be talkin' bout yourself, cuz that sure as hell ain't me!" Grimmjow suddenly erupted, giving away his position hiding in the tree. Ulquiorra shot Grimmjow a look of disdain and continued, "Grimmjow, I never _said_ you were completely incompetent, did I, it's not my fault you have trouble facing the truth that you yourself are completely aware of."

"Why you bloody bitch! And f.y.i. _he_ did _not _cut off my arm, Tousen did, and that was all your fault. I'mma..." Grimmjow was cut short as he saw Ulquiorra and Zane already steeping through the Garganta. As it closed, he heard Ulquiorra state quite simply, "Trash."

Grimmjow was fuming. The animosity depicted in those sapphire pools astounded Ichigo. He was quite thankful Grimmjow never looked at _him_ like that. If he did-Ichigo couldn't believe he was admitting this, even if it was to himself-he'd probably go curl up in a corner somewhere paralyzed by fear.

Grimmjow snapped back to reality, still muttering profanities at Ulquiorra under his breath. He noticed that Ichigo still hadn't relaxed his grip on his sword.

"Don't worry Berry, I ain't here to fight." Ichigo scowled at the nickname, but noticing that the terrifying look in Grimmjow's eye had only recently receded, and not wanting to see it return, directed at him, he didn't retort. Grimmjow continued, "By the way, I suggest you guys hurry up, first period's about to start, you lookin forward to another detention Ichigo?" and he took off.

Ichigo stared, confounded, at Grimmjow's retreating form. Rukia broke the silence, "Did Grimmjow just say he's _not _here to fight?" She blinked, trying to process what she heard.

"Yeah...he's been sayin that a lot lately," Ichigo responded, the clueless look still plastered on.

X X X

"So, I was right in granting you the position of Novena Espada, Zane Lyca, you have proven that you deserve it during that battle with the substitute shinigami. I expect nothing less from a master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style."

"And also cuz teh hogyoku has been turnin out some rather weak arrancar lately, all the other are a bunch o' wimps. Ain't them?"

"Thank you for your input Gin"

"His Hiten Mitsyrugi style will be quite useful in our fight for justice," Tousen added.

"You are dismissed." Aizen concluded his meeting with the new espada, trying to maintain his calm facade. Couldn't those two idiots he called comrades ever keep their mouths shut?

Zane proceeded to his quarters, behind Ulquiorra.

"This is your room," Ulquiorra stated, pointing Zane to a door.

"Arigato, Ulquiorra-sama," the young espada said as he bowed and retired to his room.

X X X

Ichigo, Rukia and Orihime made it to class, well, not on time, but they got there before the teacher, who was running late. Inoue had successfully healed Ichigo's wounds. This didn't surprise Grimmjow as she was the one who had repaired his arm after Tousen had severed it from his body.

When Mrs. Kamiya entered class, they were all seated and prepared for mathematics. She apologized for being late and began to check the homework from the night before – the one Grimmjow actually did. As Grimmjow expected, he got the first couple few wrong, though due more to wrong arithmetic than wrong method. The mistakes he made were silly, and he managed to get quite a few at the end right. He felt a little proud, though he'd never admit it, he could do something other than bash a guy's skull in. Whoa!

Next they had art class, where they were put into pairs to collaborate on a painting. As luck would have it, Grimmjow and Ichigo were partners. Ichigo, noticing that Grimmjow was unusually well behaved while in school, seized the opportunity to question him.

"So, you wanna tell me why you're at my school?" Ichigo asked, in a manner that suggested he was just making small talk, while he retrieved the paints and brushes.

"You really expect me to answer that?" Grimmjow responded, in a equally calm demeanour, rolling his eyes.

"If you do, I'll do all the work on this assignment."

"And I have a sign plastered to my forehead marked desperate, do I? You really thought I'd give in to something like that?"

"Nope, but it was worth a try." They had set up all their apparatus and materials and were ready to start. But they still didn't know what they were going to paint.

"So what are we gonna paint?" Grimmjow asked.

Ichigo chuckled. "What?!" Grimmjow demanded.

"Nothing, it's just, who'd have thought you could be so civil. I mean, you came over here without any snide comments, and you're having a normal conversation...with _me!_"

"So, you're saying you'd rather I was spewing death threats and trying to decapitate you with that ruler over there!" he growled, however his voice was still soft. Ichigo could sense the agitation, but still kept laughing.

_That bastard, he's really getting on my nerves, wait why does this seem so familiar?_

_**It's just like that spaghetti thing.**_

_So does that mean that there's no ill intention behind his laughter?_

_**How am I supposed to know? I just know that I'd be cracking up too if someone got so worked up over a little joke.**_

_So, it's just a small joke, he's not mocking me?_

_**Dunno.**_

_You are useless._

_**Says the guy who's talkin to himself.**_

"Uh, Grimmjow, you okay," Ichigo asked, as he waved his arm in front of Grimmjow's face, "Dude, it was just a joke, why'd you space out?"

"I did _not _space out!" Grimmjow retorted.

"Sure...So what do you wanna paint?"

"How bout you, your body over here, head rolling somewhere over there," he said, gesturing at different areas on the page.

"You know Grimmjow, that time I told you that you took death threats to an art form, I didn't mean you should start paintin them," Ichigo replied, not sure why his voice was so even or why he was smiling, as there was a more than ninety nine point nine percent chance that Grimmjow wasn't joking. Grimmjow couldn't help it, he smiled too.

"So, Berry, what are we gonna paint?" Ichigo made a grimace at the nickname and replied, "I have no idea _Grimmy_," with a grin.

"What?!"

Ichigo chuckled again. Talking to Grimmjow without a sword pointed at his throat wasn't so bad. Grimmjow's two hands were in his pockets, as he said, "What's the topic again?"

"Fantasy," Ichigo stated.

"Well, why don't we do your inner world?" Grimmjow supplied with a grin, "That'd be interesting to see."

"Because it's a collaboration project and you know nothing bout my inner world...and you never will, so don't get your hopes up!"

"Aww, c'mon, what could you be hiding?"

"Nothing, just it's _my_ inner world," he said, adding, "And Zangetsu says no! Why don't we do Panthera's world?"

"Because it's a collaboration project and you know nothing bout my inner world," Grimmjow recited.

"Glad you get the point, so moving on..."

"This topic is so dumb...fantasy...I'm from Hueco Mundo, do I look like come across situations involving fantasy often?"

"Hey, why don't we do Hueco Mundo, that's something were both familiar with."

"Cuz it's fantasy, not _nightmare!_"

"Oh come on Grimmjow, fantasy's just something that's not real, it doesn't have to be princesses and fairies."

After some time of 'you need more white there', 'that spot looks to cheerful, gloomy it up a bit', 'it's my home, I think I can convey the feeling there better than you!' and 'I know the menacing feel better, given that while I was there, I was constantly looking over my shoulder!', which was replied with 'that's why you got all those swords pointed straight at your _throat_,' the painting was finished. It depicted the desolation and despair that was the barren desert of hueco mundo perfectly. They were laughing as Grimmjow added a little hollow lizard and proclaimed the piece completed and his best work ever.

"Hey, it's our work! And as for 'best ever', have you even ever painted before?" Ichigo said, giggling at the smudge of paint on Grimmjow's nose, and spreading it over his cheeks.

"Hey!" Grimmjow said, as he smeared paint on Ichigo's face too, "As for the question, not that I know of."

"Eh?" Ichigo was confused. He picked up a piece of paper and a brush and started to doodle; the other pairs were still working.

"Well, I mean, before I became a hollow. I don't know if I ever painted before that," he stated, with an emotionless face, reminiscent of Ulquiorra. Ichigo splashed him with water from the tip of the painbrush.

"What was that for?"

"I think you did paint before."

"What? Why?"

"Grimmjow, look at this, if you've never painted before then you're just amazingly –"

"Skilled. Is it so hard to believed, we just have to add this to the list of my many talents. Now put down my masterpiece before something happens to it!"

"Our masterpiece. And skilled or not, that is not a first time painting. Even talents have to be honed, and you seem to enjoy painting."

"Oh Berry, your vanity knows no bounds does it?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "We did it together, so by praising my work, you are in effect praising yours," he continued, with the air of someone making a breakthrough discovery and smiling.

"Now you're gonna tell me that you're the hueco mundo psychologist, right Grimmy?" Ichigo laughed.

"Yep, that'll be $50. Your time is up, see you again next week, we will be discussing your inferiority complex with one Mr. Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques."

"You wish, come on we all know who's got the issues. Who always comes running to who for a fight? Who feels like he has the constant need to prove himself, huh?"

"See, your complex has got you trying to steal my job!" he said, sticking his tongue out at Ichigo like a six year old.

"Real mature Grimmjow, this is how you know when someone's lost an arguement."

"What ever," he retorted, "Hey lemme see what you drew."

"Why?"

"Cuz I wanna, gimme," he demanded, trying to snatch the piece of paper from Ichigo.

"No, it's nothing," said Ichigo, crumpling up the paper and throwing it into his bag.

They heard a whimper come from somewhere in the class, they turned to see Rukia's partner staring at their painting, horrorstruck, as Rukia worked on it. Unfortunately for Ichigo, he could imagine what the painting looked like. He shook his head at Grimmjow's confusion and said, "You're better off not knowing."

"Hey, Ichigo, you ever ate spaghetti before?" and the two continued a conversation on different types of food. Ichigo did most of the talking, recommending foods Grimmjow had to try before returning to the hollow world.

Then, it was time to present their paintings. Rukia's had, no doubt, a bunch of poorly drawn, no let's face it, _horribly_ drawn, bunny people and...well, it's best not to describe. Orihime's featured a princess and three fairies in a beautiful garden with a rainbow in the background, shocker! Ichigo thought that the red haired princess and the three fairies looked slightly familiar. Mizuiro's obviously involved a lot of women and Kiego and his partner did one with a knight by a classic fairytale castle. Orange hair could be seen poking through the front of his helmet. Everyone could guess at least one thing Keigo contributed to the painting.

Ichigo and Grimmjow's was, without a doubt, the best. The people who actually knew Heuco Mundo were even more awed by how well it was painted than the others. They got an A, and judging by the 'as usual' the teacher added to Ichigo when grading, Grimmjow deduced that he always did well in this class.

"You can keep it," Ichigo said, handing the painting to Grimmjow. Grimmjow was taken aback at this gesture and didn't know how to respond. Finally, he managed, "Are you sure? Don't you want it?"

"Nah, I've got a feeling that –" he pointed at Rukia's monstrosity, "one's coming home with me."

Grimmjow gave him a pitiful look and a pat on the back before accepting the picture.

"Arigato."

"No prob. You can give it to Aizen as a present."

"Will do. Don't worry, I'll include your name on the card," he responded with a smile as he left the class.

X X X

Due to the unknown calamity that had befallen the roof, it was now out of bounds, so Ichigo's group had to eat lunch in the cafeteria. Rukia, still fascinated by her juice, poked a straw in it, while waiting for Ichigo to take out their lunches.

"I was really worried when you got paired with Grimmjow, I'm surprised the two of you, and the school for that matter, are still unscathed."

"That's why you were so concerned that you totally forgot about me and went straight to painting your bunny things?"

"I did not forget about you!"

"So why didn't you stop him when he tried to stab me with the pencil?"

"Cuz I thought you'd be able to handle that."

"See, you weren't aware of anything but the mutant werebunnies; he did no such thing."

Rukia blushed a little after she was proven wrong, but still refused to admit it.

"Ichigo, you a friend of the new kid? You seemed to get along so well in art class" Keigo asked, more protective than inquisitive.

"Not really, you could say we're acquaintances," Ichigo replied.

"That's what you said when Rukia came, and now you two are always disappearing together," Keigo said, starting to cry again, "It's only a matter of time till you phase me out completely, you'll replace me with someone like him."

"Keigo, that's not going to happen with Grimmjow, trust me," Rukia comforted him, "Maybe with someone else, but definitely not Grimmjow." She clearly wasn't doing a good job.

"Quit being an idiot, Asano-san."

Ichigo wasn't listening anymore, Grimmjow had just walked in the room and sat at a table by himself. Ichigo followed his movements as he took out his bento and opened it. _It's homemade, I wonder if he can cook._ Grimmjow's face lit up as he separated his chopsticks and prepared to eat. He remembered their conversation in class. Grimmjow seemed to like food a lot.

Then he thought about Grimmjow saying how he didn't remember anything about before he died. Ichigo found this extremely sad. Then his thoughts wandered to how Grimmjow became a hollow. _He seems so normal when he's not on a killing spree. I wonder why he's on the evil side. It's obviously not out of loyalty or admiration to Aizen._

_**Duh, he's a hollow.**_

_So, does being a hollow mean you have to be evil?_

_**Kinda, they feed off souls which we have to save, making them our enemy.**_

_But that's not their fault._

_**What are you getting at, that guy is a monster. He enjoys killing. He kills way more than necessary and you know it!**_

_Yeah, I guess I'm just wondering how his mind works, you know. I mean, I'd expect one like him to be out looking for trouble, but he's just being normal. I mean sure, he's obnoxious, and if someone pissed him off, he'd probably bash their head into a wall, but you can't blame him for that._

_**Are you seriously trying to become a psychiatrist, do you really expect to decipher how the mind of a killing machine works!**_

_But he seemed so human, I'm sure there's some genuine good in him somewhere._

_**Geez, one art class and you're already seeing the guy in a whole new light.**_

_Oh shut up, I'm just sayin that there's more than meets the eye to Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques._

_**You do remember he's your enemy right?**_

_Of course I do!_

Ichigo was disrupted from his inner arguement by the bell. By the time he registered what was happening, all his friends were already getting up and the subject of his argument had already left. _Can't believe I spent my entire lunchtime tryin to figure him out._

_**You mean **_**Grimmy**_**?**_

_Just shut it!_

X X X

Grimmjow's second day of school had come to a close. It wasn't so bad, however his job and apartment searches were futile, and Aizen had a new pet. _Judging by the way the kid was lookin at Ulquiorra, I don't think me an him are gonna get along too well._

_**And that's different from your usual life how?**_

Grimmjow laughed at himself, he was right, since when did he get along with anyone. He placed his painting on the dresser so that he could admire it.

_But all in all, not a bad day huh?_

And with a smile, he drifted off to sleep.

**Aww, Grimmy's going soft!**

**And to all of you who were wondering, yeah I did watch a little too much Rurouni Kenshin when I was younger...who am I kidding, there's no such thing as too much. So if you don't know, Hiten Mitsurugi is the style Kenshin uses to fight.**

**Ryu-kan-sen is a technique used once one has gotten beside an opponent, it involves a very powerful swing with the twist of your whole body, inflicting a direct blow under the skull. **

**Ryu-sou-sen involves multiple slashes to its opponent, without giving the opponent the chance for a counter attack. It is effective in dealing with those who will not get knocked out with one move.**

**And ku-zu-ryu-sen is to wield the sword nine times from nine different directions at once and strike all nine vital points instantly.**

**And that's just basic sword techniques this dude knows, maybe he watched a little too much Rurouni Kenshin too, lol. He hasn't even used his true power yet. Why is he the novena again?? He kinda seem stronger than the rest. I guess it's the inexperience.**

**Oh, and I know ichi and grimmy are supposed to be bickering instead of laughing and getting along, but I wanted their painting experience to be a good one, so lets just say they were so into the painting, they forgot to fight! They'll start bickering next chapter, hopefully.**

**Oh and I think my characters are talkin to themselves a little too much, hope that borderline insanity doesn't reflect anything bout me!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, sorry for the long wait. I've been really busy, I'm hardly ever home, so that's less computer time. And when I do get the time to use the computer, it's usually just enough to watch one episode of an anime or so. Not my fault, there should be more hours in a day, I've been dying to update for so long. Well, hope you enjoy, and as aforementioned in previous chapters, I don't own bleach or any of its characters.

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**Attack!

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"One caramel latte please," ordered a small brown haired girl.

"Ahem," the server was trying to get her attention, holding out the cup for her to accept. However, the girl took no notice of this. Her eyes were fixated on the features of the handsome man before her. He was muscular, exceptionally good looking, and his facial features were breathtaking. She gazed into the pools of cerulean that were his eyes, feeling as if she were falling deeper and deeper into them. The only thing that could stop her from losing her self in those soothing orbs was to let her attention be grasped by the teal locks that stuck out in front of them. She was now scanning the man's appearance in its entirety; save for the two pieces of hair sticking out in front, the rest was pushed back, looking as if he had run his hands through it several times; the look suited him, the expression in his eyes displayed his irritation perfectly, and he wore a prominent scowl..._Wait a minute, irritated, scowl? Uhoh, I should probably take my latte and leave._ With a nervous chuckle, the girl paid for her latte and scurried off to a table, looking back at the man ever so often.

Grimmjow sighed and went to take the next order. _What was it with these humans, that was like the ninetieth girl today to do that, they really all are a bunch of airheads! _Though his apartment searches were all in vain, he had managed, after a week, to finally get a job. Sure, it was at a coffeeshop, but it was a job nonetheless. However, he was kind of annoyed that so many of those dumb, bothersome girls frequented this shop, he knew, that were it not for the bit of new found patience he developed over the past week, everyone in a four mile radius would have been decapitated by now, hell, Japan might've been blown off the map. But somehow, he managed. A week had passed, it had been trying and testing at times, but it had passed, devoid of murders and serious casualties. Sometimes he wondered if Aizen had sent him here simply to substitute for anger management classes, because the task of living with humans either entailed being patient and calm or committing widespread massacre, and quite frankly he even surprised himself that he had not yet done the latter.

And it wasn't just living with humans, it was spending everyday in the same godforsaken classroom as Kurosaki. That was probably the biggest test of his patience, having to see that scowl everyday. Do you know how much time people spend in school, it's practically the entire day! By this point in time, Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes on longer portrayed the unease he felt at having Grimmjow around, stealing the ounce of happiness Grimmjow used to feel, knowing that he was a bother to the orange haired boy. He couldn't take it, he was here on Aizen's orders, yet he was removed from all the action, whilst Ichigo was under no one's orders, he could do as he pleased. Everyday, he would watch the shinigami and his friends, laughing, talking, in Kiego's case, crying, and enjoying themselves despite the definite battles that lay ahead.

Watching them annoyed him and, at the same time, intrigued him. They were fighting for what they held dear, and at the same time, enjoying all they could. He, on the other hand was being used by Aizen, for a cause that he really didn't give a damn about. But he kept holding on, because he had his own cause, he could use Aizen in his quest for power. However, he startled himself, for after spending a mere week in this fragile world of the humans, he had begun questioning himself, was there some other way to achieve his ends?

_**Huh, just one week, and your mind's already thrown into turmoil Grimmjow?**_

_This world has absolutely no effect on me, and my mind is perfectly fine...despite the fact that I'm once again talking to myself._

_**That's the beauty of denial, isn't? And denial is so very Grimmjow, glad to see you've started to think like yourself again...I think.**_

_Whaddya mean you think?_

_**It's just that when your not making yourself look at the negative side of things, your mind's pretty at ease being here, isn't it?**_

_What, am I really the Hueco Mundo psychiatrist? Is my newest patient myself?_

_**Remembering you conversation with Kurosaki, huh? You know, you two are very much alike.**_

_I'm nothing like him, and I'm not sayin that because admittin it would be accepting something Aizen said. If it's one thing I'm sure of, it's that one of my goals is to defeat that berry; I'll keep fightin him till I can finally kill him. That's what I want, he's mine to kill. I want to kill him...yeah kill him..._

"Kill him..."

"Uh, did you say something?" Grimmjow was wrenched from his inner musings by a timid looking boy, with a now terrified look on his face, who was intently gazing at Grimmjow while waiting for his order.

"Oh, nothing, sorry, here's your cappuccino," Grimmjow said, handing the boy his cup. The boy took it, tore his reproachful gaze from Grimmjow, and left the coffeehouse without a backward glance.

_**What, no 'Mind you own damn business' and trademark scowl? See, you're changing.**_

_Am not, I was just shocked, and didn't have time to respond properly!_

_**Whatever...**_

x

Ichigo sat in his bedroom, overlooking the events of the past week, which greatly betrayed the expectations he had laid out on day one. The school was still standing, no one was dead, Grimmjow got total on a maths test; what the hell was up with that, both he and the teal haired arrancar were still alive, and very much in one piece, and Grimmjow had caused absolutely no trouble. Both of them had said not a word to each other since the fateful partnering in art class, sure, there was the occasional glare that shot between the two each time one seemed to enjoy screw ups of the other, but no fight. Ichigo was vigilant, he didn't let his guard down. However, though he kept close watch on Grimmjow, he never noticed anything to suggest what Grimmjow was up to. It was so nerve wrecking!

Ichigo's head was spinning from trying to comprehend this information. If he didn't know the usually aggressive man, Ichigo would have sworn that the new transfer student was just that. Grimmjow was behaving rather well, even for a human. Sure, there was the guy he had floored for insulting his hair colour, but that was acceptable and he had gotten into a few minor scuffles, but nothing serious. He was rather isolated and antisocial, but he showed no hint of the brutal persona he was known for. Ah, Ichigo's wits were confunded. What was Aizen up to, and why send Grimmjow, it was known that he wasn't exactly the most loyal of the Espada, nor one to follow the actual guidelines of a mission, so why risk it, especially at a crucial time like this?

_Heh, if his mission is drivin me nuts, he sure is doing a good job! My head feels like it's been split in two!_

Slowly, Ichigo made his way out of his room and down the stairs, his usual scowl replaced with a frown. He let out an audible sigh as he left for Urahara's. _Maybe he can clear some of this up!_

It was a busy weekend. Ichigo found it difficult to navigate himself through the sea of people. They made the familiar streets seem like an endless labyrinth. He rushed past the coffeehouse where the crowd was thickest, feeling if he could get past here, he'd almost reach his goal, and at the same time wondering why this area in particular was so unusually crowded._ They don't normally have so many customers. Wonder if they got something new. It's gotta be really good to be attracting all these people, I'll have to check it out later._

He arrived at Urahara's shop a few minutes later to find Rukia now entering. They followed the shopkeeper until they settled in a room, occupied by Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika. Ichigo raised his eyebrows when he saw the other three, surprised by their presence. It was Urahara who broke the silence and answered his unspoken question.

"Kurosaki-kun, I'm so glad your here, as you can see, we have received some news from Soul Society."

"What kind of news?" Ichigo inquired, already knowing it would be something he wouldn't want to hear.

"Well, someone broke into the twelfth division headquarters and the Research and Development Institute," said Urahara.

"What?! How?" Ichigo blurted out, and he saved the most dreaded question for last, "What did they take?" He really didn't want to know, it would be something terrible that would have dire consequences for Soul Society, he just knew it. Of course, the minds behind the twelfth division and the research institute were Urahara and Mayuri and anything they thought up had to be too lethal to be unleashed unto the world. This would be horrible. Ichigo braced himself for what was to come, but he could have never expected worse news.

"Well, uh, the thing is, we don't know," it was Renji who spoke, rubbing his head and looking down.

"What?!"

"Yeah, uh, the place was trashed but nothing seems to be missing, and there's no trace of what files were found and what information was viewed. Nothing, the only info we have is that everywhere in the institutions was ransacked."

Ichigo looked puzzled. "So you have no idea what they were looking for or if they got it?"

"Huh, what they were looking for? We can't even fathom what is kept in those places, much less what they were looking for," Ikkaku scoffed.

"The only thing we can be sure of, is, if they found it, nothing good could come of it," Renji concluded solemly.

"Well, any possible suspects?"

"No, not one. They didn't leave a trace of who they are."

"Which is why I say we should just give up now, what can we do against the unknown?" Yumichika finally spoke, looking at himself in a mirror and fixing his hair. Everyone ignored him.

"So basically, you don't know anything except that _someone_ broke into the twelfth division and the research institute and they _may _or _may not_ have found what they were looking for, is that right?"

"Yep, that about sums it up," said Ikkaku, with a grin.

"Yeah, and we were sent to warn you and tell you to keep a keen eye out Ichigo," Renji concluded, as all three left via a senkai gate.

Ichigo sighed. Some warning. _Keep an eye out for what exactly? This is like searching for an invisible madman when all your senses are sealed except for sight. Just my luck, this week just keeps getting better._ Ichigo allowed himself to fall backwards into one of Urahara's chairs as he hung his head in exasperation. He took a deep breath, he didn't even want to think about his life right now. When he finally looked up, he saw a worried Rukia looking at him, and Urahara was, for once, fanning someone aside from himself.

"Now Kurosaki-kun, you need to take things a little easier, if you let all of this get to you, you'll die before your time," he said jokingly, as Ichigo glared at him and shoved the fan away.

"Now, now, why don't we lighten the mood a little, would you like something to drink?"

Ichigo glared harder. "What the hell is going on? Do _you_ know anything about what could have been stolen?"

"I'm afraid not," said Urahara, a solemn look adorned his visage.

"Well, we'll deal with that issue later. Hopefully we've made better progress with our other issues. Do you have any inkling as to what Aizen could be planning?"

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun, we're working on it." Ichigo growled at the man's lack of information.

"Can you at least explain to me, even by speculation, any possible reason why _I have an arrancar as a classmate. _Furthermore, said arrancar has caused no mass mayhem save for_ the tornado that has just swept through my mind leaving it in shambles?!!!_"

"Uh, Aizen's up to something?" Urahara half answered half asked, with a confused look in his eyes and a shrug of his shoulder, while slowly backing away from Ichigo, which was a good move, because just then, Ichigo lunged forward off the chair with a manic glint in his eyes.

"Up to something?! You don't say. My question is _what_ in bloody hell is he up to?!"

"Calm down Ichigo," Rukia spoke up.

Ichigo resumed his seat, taking deep breaths. He didn't mean to lose it just then, but the lack of information was driving him crazy. It was like they were in complete darkness and any moment Aizen would come up and whack them in the back of their heads with a mallet, all the while never losing his cool smile. It made Ichigo mad as hell, it made him irritated, infuriated, agitated and a whole range of other emotions. It made him ready to kill, just so the uncertainty, and the madness would end. But in order to get rid of his problems, he had to be calm and collect, he had to train and he had to have his friends safe at his side, so, he cleared his mind, ready to listen to what Urahara had to say, regardless of how little it may be. It wasn't the shopkeeper's fault they were in the dark. And it's not like he himself was doing much at the moment to find out what Aizen's master strategy was. He shouldn't take out his frustrations on his comrades. And judging by the pitiable expression on Urahara's face at that moment, it was safe to say that he was definitely not the only one aggravated by Aizen and his antics at present. Of course, the fact that Aizen was still running loose must be driving a great many up a wall; it was a major insult to their pride, he had been betraying them for over a century, and every one of those cool, mocking smiles that crossed his lips must cut like a knife.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo mumbled, looking up at the shopkeeper and the shinigami, "It's just so infuriating!"

"I understand Kurosaki-kun, don't worry about it," the shopkeeper responded with a sigh.

"So, back to the issue at hand," Rukia joined in, trying to get her friends out of their slumps, "As we know, Aizen definitely has some ploy up his sleeve that we may never see coming," she continued, "So let's try to integrate and organize the little information we have, hopefully it'll lead us somewhere."

Both men agreed with her. Urahara called Tessai into the room to partake in the discussion.

"Well, let's see, what do we know so far?" said Urahara, "Firstly, one thing we're sure of, is that an Espada was sent to the real world, the purpose of his mission, we can only speculate. Secondly, there was a major break in to two very important facilities in Seretei. All security was overridden and nothing seems to be missing. Lastly, these two incidents may or may not be related," he listed, counting off on his fingers.

Ichigo scoffed, "I bet my zanpakuto that Aizen _is _behind the break in, he's probably looking for some upgrades for the Hogyouko or looking for a way to crossbreed chainsaws and puppies to access the ultimate power, cute yet deadly." Ichigo ended with a grin, and a tone suggesting that he was marketing the chainsaw-puppies.

"Yes, well, that aside, we can't jump to conclusions, knowing our fortune, it's probably some new enemy who picked the most opportune time to strike," Urahara replied glumly, "Though I think it's pretty safe to assume that it's Aizen."

"Uhuh, and knowin him, he's probably just messin with us, like trying to get us all panicked and distracted right before he strikes; he's probably just manipulating us for his own sick enjoyment. Maybe he really _didn't _take anything."

"Either that or chainsaw puppies?" Urahara said with a smile.

"Actually, I think rabbits would be more effective for that purpose," Rukia interjected in all seriousness, no hint of a joke on her face.

Ichigo and Kisuke couldn't help but laugh. In between bouts of giggles, Kisuke continued, "Despite the truth in what you say of Aizen's character, I also happen to think he's a man who takes advantage of the most he could gain out of a situation, so if he went through all the trouble to break into the labs, he wouldn't have left empty handed, plunging Seretei into chaos would just be a bonus."

"So is that why he ransacked the place? Cuz I would think that he would be able to carry out something like that more stealthily, wouldn't you?"

"I quite agree Kurosaki-kun but then again some of his subordinates are not so competent when it comes to the delicate art that is covertness." Ichigo giggled, he could think of one blue haired Espada who definitely fit that category. He could just hear Grimmjow's voice, "Let's just trash the place and get what we're lookin for!" regardless of the manner in which Aizen wanted the mission carried out, actually, Grimmjow'd probably do it just _because_ Aizen specified otherwise. He couldn't help but appreciate the arrancar's waywardness just then. Anything that caused Aizen the slightest bit of trouble was comfort to Ichigo at that point, so thinking about the hell Grimmjow must give Aizen on a daily basis made him feel like he was on cloud nine.

_**Wow, bet you never thought that he'd make you this happy!**_

_Honestly, nope, but I finally understand that there is a reason for his existence, apart from being a thorn in my side._

Ichigo was wrenched from his thoughts by Tessai's agreement with Urahara's claim that Aizen must have wanted something from the research lab. "So, any idea what he could possibly be after? I mean, you founded that place, and I'm sure you have deadly contraptions hiding there still."

"Well, as far as we've seen, Aizen's goal has been the breach of the barrier between shinigami and hollows, so the best bet would be something pertaining to that. But there's always the possibility that he's moved on to bigger and greater ventures."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. Bigger and greater than building an entire empire and embarking on a journey to conquer the world? Right. "Okay, so let's assume that it's the first thing, what could he be searching for now?"

"Well, this is where the true problem arises. I will have to gather more information. I'll let you know as soon as we have any leads."

"So, you didn't invent anything else similar to the hogyouko, possibly an accessory to it, to speed up the awakening? Maybe it's hiding in Byakuya's spleen, or Yoruichi's –" Ichigo was cut off by Urahara.

"Ah, speaking of Yoruichi-san, she's in Soul Society, investigating this very matter, maybe we'll have answers soon. As for your previous question, no, I have invented nothing with respect to hollowfication-shinigamificaton reactions other than the hogyokou. And there is no way that he can access any of my research information, because all remaining records of those are kept up here," he concluded, pointing at his head. Ichigo nodded to show that he understood that the topic was closed.

"So, what about Grimmjow?" he inquired.

"Well, that's a next case. Why would Aizen station an Espada in a high school?" Urahara mused, "Unlike our first problem, there are many possibilities for this one, perhaps even too much."

"And what's the bet that what ever Aizen is planning may turn out to be none of the above?"

"There's a good chance of that, but still, we should explore the possibilities."

"I agree," Ichigo approved.

"So, the first thing I can think of is a spy/recon mission."

"What sort of recon?"

"Possibly information about you. You _are_ one of the biggest threats to Aizen right now, though he tries not to let that show"

"So that would be why Grimmjow hasn't caused much trouble, it would affect how long he'd be able to gather information."

"Yes."

"But somehow, I can't see Grimmjow following those orders, he's very rebellious. He'd see a job like that as Aizen tryin to take him out of the line of action, he'd never accept it. Plus, he'd think that the only information worth gathering would be on my fighting skills, which he'd test first hand and then leave after he killed me. So far, he hasn't bothered me for a fight since his first day, and I think that was just him being him."

"Well, we should still consider it, though it is un-" Rukia's cell phone beeped.

She flipped it up, there was a glowing dot on the screen which immediately disappeared.

"Looks like someone already took care of it, it's just a minor hollow after all," she stated.

Urahara pushed that matter out of their minds with a wave of his fan and resumed his point, "Right, like I was saying, we must consider all possibilities, no matter how improbable they seem, given our limited information."

"But if Aizen wants to gather information, he would have sent another member of the Espada. Grimmjow doesn't have the skill or mindset for reconnaissance, neither is he very loyal, so there'd be no point in sending him for that," Ichigo concluded, as though the matter was settled. "Rather, I think that Aizen has some use for Grimmjow in this world that he thinks only he can do," Ichigo continued, "But I can't even begin to hypothesize what it could be, so let's hear some other ideas."

"Well, Aizen could have set a plan in motion that requires strong forces to be ready here at Karakura Town at a moment's notice."

"Well, that could be it too, since one of his main goals is to destroy Karakura to make the King's key, so do you think that time might be drawing near?"

"Maybe, but he could also be up to something else, and as you said before, this doesn't explain why he would chose Grimmjow, and why he is behaving so out of character," Urahara finished.

"Yeah, well maybe Ulquiorra was busy, with something more important, and the next best bet was to send Grimmjow," Ichigo offered, "Or maybe he sent him here just to bug me, I mean, I did say he'd be sent to do something he's the best at," he joked.

"Ichigo," Rukia started, "What if that's just it. Grimmjow's just a distraction to keep us from noticing what Aizen's really up to. Something to keep you busy. Aizen knows Grimmjow'd bother you the most, to the point that you'd focus all your attention on what he's up to, and nothing else."

"You think he'd let Aizen use him to play the part of a distraction," Ichigo chided, "Yeah right!"

Rukia's cell phone beeped again; they all ignored it, some one else would handle it, and surely enough, it stopped blinking a split second later. Rukia continued as if never interrupted.

"Maybe he doesn't know, is it really that hard for you to imagine Aizen not telling him what he's really planning?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Well, in any case Kurosaki-kun, you should keep an eye on him, hopefully we'll be able to piece together a clearer picture sooner or later," the shopkeeper stated, with a wave of his fan.

"But if it is the distraction thing, wouldn't that be playing right into their trap?"

"Ah, but in a case of uncertainty like the one we currently find ourselves in, the best thing to do is keep your enemies close and gather as much information about them as possible. At the same time you must be extra wary, and be on your guard for any other suspicious occurrences. That's the best we can do for now," he concluded wisely.

x

Ichigo walked down the streets, his mind still back at Urahara's shop. The situation was escalating, with every inconclusive battle and prolonged confrontation, their side was put at a disadvantage, whilst Aizen merely made more moves, plunging Soul Society into deeper turmoil. They were lost in a sea of confusion and blindness, reaching wildly for any form of salvation that may appear. At least for now they had kept Karakura Town safe, Ichigo thought, as his feet carried him onward, to where, he knew not, he was too lost in his thoughts. He knew one thing, as they were now they may not, no, they _would_ not be able to defeat Aizen and his army, that was for sure. They needed information, they needed to strategize, to organize, to train, and, ultimately, to be prepared. Ichigo returned his attention to his surroundings, wondering where his feet had taken him.

He looked around to find himself in the previously packed coffeehouse he had intended to visit, however now the crowd had thinned a little. He decided that having a coffee wasn't a bad idea, it would ease his mind a little. He ordered a mocha grande and waited. If only they had some way to spy on Aizen's side. Yeah, that's how desperate the situation was, he was actually considering something like that. No not really, he'd never, in reality, consider something so underhanded, he liked to approach his opponents head on, with pride, the thought just got the opportunity to snake its way to the back of his mind due to all the stress. As he was handed his cup, he inquired about the unusual rush earlier that day. The employee informed him that the crowd was due to some new worker that everyone was coming to fawn over.

"Yeah, business has increased tenfold since that guy came to work here, and I can understand why too; he's unbelievably hot, like some hero out of a manga or something," the guy replied, grinning.

Ichigo chuckled, people were so carefree, they had time to come to the coffeeshop just to stare at a guy. Then the grim thought dawned on him that if he failed, these very people would not be able to continue their relatively blissful lives. On a lighter note, though, he added as an afterthought that the guy must be quite a looker to attract that much attention.

Sipping his coffee peacefully, with his mind a little more at rest than before, Ichigo ventured onward to his house, thinking that he didn't have the energy, both mental and physical, to even think about the greeting waiting for him when he arrived home. Would he even be able to dodge Isshin's kick. He laughed at the thought, of course he would, and deliver his own blow to his father's head as well, he'd probably knock him into a wall too, just for the fun of it. He lightened up at these thoughts. However, his serene moment was disrupted by the presence of an - no many – unfamiliar reiatsus. Using his Shinigami Representative Badge, he quickly separated his soul from his body, regrettably spilling his entire cup of coffee in the process. He headed off in the direction of the multiple sources of strange reiatsu, but he didn't have to search far, as said swarm was heading directly toward him. He looked at them. They looked more or less like regular hollows. This was going to be easy.

He pulled out Zangetsu, thinking that it would be over with one slash. Charging toward a group of the hollows, Ichigo struck, feeling his blade make contact with...nothing? The hollows had disappeared from in front of him, he hadn't even sensed the movement. He turned around quickly in bewilderment, just in time to accidentally block a blow that was coming straight for his head. He had cut that particular hollow straight down the middle, but, before his very eyes, he saw the edges of sinew meld and sew themselves back together, repairing the damaged hollow in a few instants.

Ichigo couldn't believe it. What type of hollows was he up against? But that wasn't the time to stop and wonder. He tightened his grip on Zangetsu and rushed forward into the battle once again. This time, his aim was true, as he sliced through three hollows. Two dissipitated into spirit particles, but one regenerated in the same manner as the previous. In an instant after Ichigo struck those hollows, he was accosted from behind by another. It's movements were so fast and well executed that he was unable to dodge. It flung him into another, the horn on it's mask tearing his shihakusho and slicing his forearm.

The cut was deep, and blood gushed out profusely, but Ichigo didn't think about that. He focused on escaping from the clutches of the hollow who was just about to snap at him. His attempt was successful. He knew he had to keep trying to cut them down, he could definitely beat them, they were just hollows after all. However, some of them were incredibly quick and stealthy. He needed to be on par with their speed to eradicate them quickly without suffering much damage. With a cry of "Bankai!" his clothing was altered slightly, and the form of his Zanpakuto was now sleek, black and thin. His movements had increased greatly in speed, he was now able to match the hollows.

He shunpoed in between the gathering of hollows, dealing blows to as many as his sword could reach at a time. However, there were those that were regenerating. How was he supposed to deal with them. While chasing a particularly crafty and swift one, something strange happened.

Ichigo was chasing the hollow at top speed. It had him going in circles for the past half of a minute. He had almost smashed his face into a concrete wall as the hollow, with Ichigo right on his tail, was barrelling toward it at top speed and suddenly changed direction. Ichigo's top notch reflexes allowed him to steer himself away from the impending crash in time. He then shunpoed to the left of the hollow and was about to strike. However, as he was about to do so, the hollow sped up some more. Suddenly, the body of the hollow sprang into flames and was reduced into nothingness. Ichigo didn't even have the time to think _what the hell? _as another hollow came at him from behind. He decapitated the hollow, which then began to regenerate.

This particular hollow with the horn on his mask, was regenerating for the sixth time. As the stitching was happening, intead of the tendons being pulled tightly together back into place, they started to be strected to extreme extents at all angles. Ichigo watched the grotesque display till the hollow reached its limits and exploded. He finally understood. There was a limit to using their powers. He just had to keep beating them down till they couldn't rise anymore.

With renewed fervour, Ichigo continued waging war on the hollows. One by one, they slowly reached their own extents and were gone. However, as Ichigo was nearing the end of his battle, with only six of the original fifteen or sixteen hollows remaining, he was rendered incapable by one which resembled a spider.

It had somehow gotten the opportunity to spin a 'web' around him. But the substance used to create the web hardened, resembling something akin to the material the hollow mask was made from. He couldn't even swing his Zanpakuto wildly at his incoming attackers, as it too was bound by the confinements of the web in which he was trapped. He was struggling, trying to free himself and Zangetsu, but to an avail. If he did manage to free himself, he would have to eliminate them as soon as possible, and be on his guard for other unexpected abilities.

Unable to free himself in his current state, he decided that his only hope was to use his Vizard powers. As he was about to do that, a searing pain shot through the right side of his body, as he felt something pierce the area below his right shoulder blade. His entire body was throbbing intensely in agony. His vision was going blurry. He thrashed around the web madly, getting himself more stuck than before. Then, the pain was receding, but his body was going numb. He couldn't move. His senses were leaving him too. His vision went blurry, and just before he was plunged into darkness, he thought he saw a streak of blue flash before his now half closed eyes.

* * *

**Well, did you enjoy it? Review please. Maybe if I had more reviews I'd be motivated to update sooner, huh. Well, as said before, review, and hopefully the next chapter'll be up soon. Oh by the way, for any of you who are wondering how come aroniero is dead but szayel and ulqui are alive, well, I like them, so I want them alive, it's my fic so I can do whatever I want. Thus they will live on!**

**Don't forget, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 up, finally. So as you can see, no, I have not died, and neither has this story. Though I may be rewriting a few parts, not sure yet though. Well, not much happened in this chapter, but it's still something right? And I promise I'll try to update sooner too, one thing's for sure, I won't ever leave the story for a whole YEAR ever again. I still can't believe I did that. I hope you enjoy.**

**Oh, and this is in Grimmy's POV.**

Rescue

"One caramel latte please," ordered the little shrimp in front of me. I could have snapped her in two by just breathing too close to her if I wanted, she was so human and frail, but I was being a good boy; after all, this was my job. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the great Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques, the King of Hueco Mundo is now working in a coffee shop! Okay, so I'm not really king, but can't a guy dream? So, anyways, yeah, Aizen sent me on this sham of a mission and now I'm working in a coffee shop. But despite what you may think, it doesn't bother me that much; you see, I like to think of this as a vacation, a vacation from the sheer torture and insanity that is called Las Noches. I mean, I haven't seen Aizen-teme in a whole damn week, I swear, it's like Christmas came early for Panthera and I!

Back to what was happening at work though. I finished making her latte and was _trying_ to hand her it, but the girl was totally out of it! I swear, there's something seriously wrong with humans, this girl was like the hundredth one today to do that, and it wasn't even half nine yet. Seriously! And every single one of them was the same, they barely managed to stutter out their order and then fell into a daze. What's with the water in this area? I waved my hand energetically in front of her face, trying to get her attention; I failed. I was expecting it to, it's not like it worked on the other ninety-nine, so, instead, I growled. Not a I'm-gonna-rip-you-limb-from-limb-just-cuz-your-standing-in-front-of-me growl, just a slightly irritated growl. Thankfully, that seemed to work. It was sufficient to snap her out of her stupor. As I proffered my hand with the drink, I didn't have to put on a scowl, as it was already set in place due to the past experiences of the morning. Still in some sort of dream like trance, she paid and scurried away, looking back ever so often. I wondered how much more of this I could put up with. A whole week of searching, and this was all I could find? Just my bloody awesome luck!

Working there wasn't too hard, or demanding, my mind had time to wander as much and as far as it wanted. _Hey, if this a coffee shop, how come they serve stuff without caffeine in it? Shouldn't it be like a 'coffee and more' shop or something? Humans are weird._

Anyways, as I was saying, it really was an easy job, so except for the irritating girls, I couldn't complain much. Oh, and by now you're probably wondering by what miracle was it that I had managed to spend a whole week with these annoying excuses for life forms and not wreak havoc of any kind whatsoever. Sure, I had gotten into a few fights, but everyone's head was still attached to their body, right? Which, if you know me, you would know is a big accomplishment. We all know it takes no big stretch of the imagination to picture me committing mass murder because of some minor annoyance, which, if I do say so, seem to be plentiful around here. Speaking of which…

_Oh joy, here comes another one! Don't these people have anything thing better to do than sit in a coffee shop drinking _decaf_ and giggle all day? At least she hasn't started stuttering!_

"Hi."

I didn't respond, just waited for the order.

"I'll have a chocolate donut and a vanilla milkshake please," she said, twirling her hair around her finger.

I nodded.

"So, what's your name?" she asked. Why the hell was that important, couldn't she see I was trying to work? I ignored her and brought the drink to the counter.

"You new here?" _Like, no duh!_

I nodded again.

"That'll be twenty two fifty" I said, waiting for her to pay, and wondering if something had gotten in her eye, because she was only fluttering her eyelids up and down. She paid and walked away, turning around once more and giving a little wave. Then when she sat at her table, she and her friends began to giggle again! Seriously, these people were annoying!

_Don't kill Grimmjow, it's not their fault they're of lower intelligence!_

_**Ha! Someone of lower intelligence than you, never dreamed of the day I'd hear that one!**_

_Shut it Panthera!_

But I didn't do anything, not even show my displeasure at their high pitched titters. An entire week in this fragile world had thought me patience, only to a small extent, yes, but any amount of patience was a step up from what I had before. I was learning a lot from my mission, ne?

However, one thing was bothering me. I had been sent to the human world, and, on Aizen's orders, been placed in the same school, neigh, classes, as Kurosaki, yet I had been told nothing else. It was like, 'hey, Grimmjow, we're sending you on a mission, but you don't need to know what it is, see ya!' Aside from the fact that my purpose was not to kill Kurosaki, Aizen had told me nothing, whilst Gin just smiled his fox faced grin, not even bothering with his snide remarks the one time they would be welcome!

Who did he think he was? Seriously, he didn't just order me around like I belonged to him or something, but he didn't even tell me WHAT I was supposed to do. Honestly, sometimes I think he was just bored, and he himself doesn't know what I'm supposed to do, and he's just looking for entertainment, which I'll provide. But then again, this is Aizen, so there's probably some master plan, and the entertainment he gets will just be a bonus. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I wanted work or anything, exploring the human world, and enjoying some off-time was warmly acceptable. I just didn't trust Aizen, and I didn't like people using me. It's not like I wanted Aizen to tell me his ultimate goal or anything, I could care less about that, and I doubted that he even shared that much with Gin, but I did want a proper mission description, I mean, I should at least know what _I'm_ supposed to do, right?

_Dammit, that's just another example of how he looks down on me!_

If it's one thing I hate, it's people looking down on me!

_When I get back from this mission, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind, no body treats Grimmjow Jeaggerjaques like trash!_

_**Hopefully he won't incinerate that piece of your mind, like he had Tousen do to your hand.**_

I growled out loud at that statement and the memory it brought up.

_Whose side are you on?_

_**Hey, don't get angry, I'm just sayin…**_

Life was so unfair. I, who hated being berated and controlled, was an Espada, the _supposedly_ faithful servants of his highness, the Supreme Asswipe. But then again, that position meant power, and that's why I liked it.

_Sometimes I envy Kurosaki ya know,_ I mused, as I saw said orange head making his way through the throng of people on the street. At first I thought he was coming in, _Oh joy_, but then he just walked hurriedly on by.

_Hmm, I wonder where he's going in such a hurry?_

_**Who knows, why do you even care?**_

_Cuz, he's where the action's always at, I don't wanna let him have all the fun, now do I? _I thought with a grin. In my moment of absent mindedness, I spilt a cup of hot coffee on myself.

The customers were awed by my proficiency in the fluent profanities that erupted from me, and my sheer volume as the scalding beverage came in contact with my skin. I shot a glare to the room at large, as if they had spilled the coffee on me and went off to the bathroom in an attempt to alleviate the situation. I returned to the counter a few minutes later, no improvements made to the gigantic coffee stain on my shirt. During the whole event, I had managed to persuade myself not to compromise my job any further by choosing to follow Kurosaki, the two main arguments in my mind being, 'Are you a stalker?' and, 'I'll know if anything interesting happens since his reiatsu control sucks!'

Thankfully, the rest of my shift passed without incident. I decided to roam the town for the rest of the day. _What do kids even do on a weekend?_ Well, the answer was right in front of me. As I mentioned before, the streets and stores were filled, and most of the people were teenagers. Subconsciously, I was still on the lookout for a surge in Kurosaki's reiatsu, but nothing so far. _Hmm, maybe he's just enjoying his weekend like a normal kid?_ Then I realized that my efforts were useless. As stated before, Aizen hadn't revealed any plans to attack him soon, and if anything did show up, it would just be minor hollows, and they're no fun! So I decide that I'd spend my weekend like a normal teenager too.

I wandered aimlessly through the streets with nothing to do. After eating a burger for lunch, and buying a little plush kitty – I couldn't help it, it was calling to me, so soft and baby blue, it felt like it was meant t…uh, never mind, forget you heard that – I realized how bored I was. So, despite my previous statement, I went in search of some hollows to kill time. They may present only minor entertainment but better that than none. Quite the opportunistic hunter, aren't I?

_**Either that, or you're really desperate!**_

Wasn't this town supposed to be like a magnet for hollows, surely I'd find enough to deal with my boredom.

_But then again, knowing my luck, they'll all probably decide to take the day off,_ I thought grimly.

Of course, I went home at first and took off my gigai. Oh it felt so free! At first, I was debating whether or not to mask my reiatsu. If I did, no one would realize and come to ruin my fun, including those from Hueco Mundo, but if I didn't, Kurosaki would definitely come to see what I was up to, and that'd be more fun, but no doubt that kiss ass Ulquiorra would come too and I didn't want to see him. So, after careful consideration, and deeming having to see Ulquiorra as the greater of two evils, I decided to mask my reiatsu.

And thus, the hunt began. I was on the prowl. I sensed the reiatsu of quite a few low level hollow and I sprang into action. Before any of them even noticed what was coming, they were already gone; just because I had a boisterous personality didn't mean I couldn't be stealthy when I wanted to. My agility and guile were second to none [or so I like to think]. By the third hollow, the thrill of the hunt had enveloped me. I was on an adrenalin rush.

Though they were easy enough prey to catch, I enjoyed it more if I played around with them a little. Letting them run just out of my reach, then catching them again and repeating the sequence till I was bored of it, or I thought the poor creature had had enough. I stalked a particularly quick one for a while, and then, with my panther like reflexes, I bent my knees and pounced. As I sprang forward, I instinctively lunged at its throat, sinking my fangs in and ripping to my heart's content.

I had not originally planned to eat any, just hunt them and kill them to do away with my boredom, but I got caught up in the moment, and the sounds, no the feeling, of flesh tearing and bones crunching was irresistible. It had been so long since I'd had the opportunity to tear something limb from limb; it was exhilarating!

I usually didn't target weaklings like these, much less eat them. Aside from the fact that I tried my best to not associate with anything weak, they didn't taste all that good either, but as I sank my teeth into the morsel, I savoured the taste. It must have been that it was so long since I had fed, but oh, he tasted delicious.

Licking my lips and baring my fangs, I went after the next toy…uh, I mean meal…well, let's just say victim…poor, pathetic, defenseless being…delicious prey…chew toy…uh, where was I again? Right, I went from prey to prey, my feral grin leaving my face not once. I was thoroughly enjoying my mockery of a hunt. I went on like that for a while, reveling in my glory [well, it really wasn't glory as I was merely stepping on ants, but it was the closest I'd come to glory in some days, I mean, just a few hours before, I had been _serving coffee to humans_!]. Then suddenly, two things caught my attention; the power surge from Kurosaki that I'd been on the lookout for all day, and a bunch of other reiatsu sources, hollow, definitely, but unlike any other that I've ever felt before. What the hell was happening!

…

When I got to the scene, there was a blinding burst of reiatsu from Kurosaki who was in the process of passing out and was surrounded by six hollows. The power behind the outburst was extraordinary, and it wiped out three of the hollows immediately. It also blasted apart the others, but to my astonishment, a second later, they reappeared, fine again. Then I took in the scene properly. There were three hollows remaining, and one of them had Kurosaki wrapped in some sort of web, and was moving in for the kill. Without even thinking, I swept onto the scene and grabbed the unconscious shinigami, slashing the arachnoid hollow with my Zanpakuto. One of the others lunged at me, and in the same movement, I instinctively caught him by the throat and ripped him to shreds. Then I noticed that the spiderlike hollow had somehow reformed itself, and it and its comrade were coming at me from opposite sides. Still clutching the cataleptic shinigami with one arm, I swung my zanpakuto once more, striking both offending hollows. The spidery one was gone for good now, but the other had reformed and its speed was no joke. Using my sonido, I kept trying to evade him, but to no avail; he was gaining on us, and spitting some acid like substance which was melting things it made contact with. I gathered reiatsu at my finger tips and shot a cero began me. Looking back, I confirmed that I had struck my target, and thankfully, the freak was not regenerating.

Still holding Ichigo, I sonidoed to my room, and placed him on the bed. I wondered how he got knocked out, it must've have been something stupid and careless he did, I reasoned, because, aside from the hollows' special abilities, and their amazing speed, they were still pretty weak. Seriously, he let them force him into bankai, and then submission? His standards were definitely dropping. What bothered me was that regeneration technique, it had to be some trial run of one of Aizen's experiments, what the hell was he working on now? Then I asked myself why I saved Kurosaki. Well, the answer was simple, just so that I could show him how weak he was to get beaten by those scum and then kill him myself, right?

He didn't even stir. Out cold, he just lay there, reiatsu barely noticeable. I wondered if his friends had gone looking for him, they had to have felt his reiatsu when he let out that burst before. Maybe I should have left him there for them to find. Should I just carry him to his place? I was lost in thought, staring at my orange haired rival, but I wanted to be sure he was okay, that way when I killed him, I could get the satisfaction of knowing it wasn't due to any handicap he had sustained. I kept looking at him, but there was no sign of revival anytime soon. He was bleeding from a couple gashes; one below his shoulder blade, and one really deep cut on his forearm in particular.

I wondered why he wasn't healing, I mean, he was resting, so his reiatsu reserves should have been put toward healing his scrapes and bruises, shouldn't they. I cleared my mind and tried to sense for his reiatsu but it was barely there, practically dormant and hidden deep within. I decided to help him heal, just so he would stop bleeding on my sheets, so I touched one of his injuries and focused, pouring some of my reiatsu into him, and hoping to jumpstart his. It worked, kind of. His reiatsu was still contained and locked away to some extent, but my probing had managed to weaken the seal on it, and it was now trickling out, and with the aid of mine, his bruises and cuts were mending.

I wondered why his reiatsu felt as if someone had locked it away. Was this Aizen's doing? I only hoped it was a temporary side effect, and as soon as his body got some rest and he recuperated, it would be able to restore everything to normal.

"Grimmjow, you home?" I heard Miss Kamiya ask.

I stuck my head out the door and answered her.

"Well, dinner's ready."

"Kay, I'll be right down!"

I closed my window and covered Kurosaki, and then went down for dinner, closing the door behind me.

…..

Just as I finished my katsudon, I felt as difference in the atmosphere. It was as if a great pressure had been lifted, and at the epicenter of this barometric change was my room. Yes, Kurosaki's reiatsu had somehow started to flow naturally again. I excused myself from the table and rushed up to my room, just as he was waking. I closed the door to prevent the large racket he was about to make from reaching down stairs. Sure enough, just as I had done so, his senses had come back to him just in time for him to take notice of me and point an accusatory finger, yelling, "What the hell?"

I sighed, he was so predicatable.

"Calm down Kurosaki, don't try to –"

He cut me off mid sentence.

"Calm down? Where the hell am I? " he screamed, trying to jump off the bed. He stumbled, and nearly fell on the floor, but I caught him.

" – move." I finished, while placing him back on the bed. I may not have been the brightest bulb in the pack, but I wasn't stupid either. I had thought about it during dinner, and had come to the conclusion that Kurosaki's unconsciousness was not due to fatigue, or blood loss but due to the restraint that had been placed on his spiritual pressure. However, I could only speculate as to how this happened, but most likely it had to do with those strange hollows.

"Just stay down, your body can't handle any strenuous activity right now, you haven't fully recovered. It's still adjusting to the return of your out of control reiatsu, dumbass!"

He scowled, and tried to prove me wrong, actually, he did prove me wrong, when his fist collided with my jaw. Hard.

"Why you – "

**TBC.**

**So, it only went a little further than last chapter, but well, it's going somewhere. Review please. Oh, and I just realized that Ichigo left his body in the coffee shop, now what am I gonna do bout that, lol.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed! Until next time [let's hope that's soon].**


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